


Bad Boy

by Dayun



Category: Day6 (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Alternate Universe - High School, F/M, Light Angst, Pining, What Can I do/I Loved You/When You Love Someone AU, female Wonpil, watch everyone be pretty much whipped for Wonpil, we love a girl Wonpil
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-11
Updated: 2019-05-29
Packaged: 2019-10-26 02:03:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 23,182
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17736920
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dayun/pseuds/Dayun
Summary: Wonpil is a good girl, yet she always falls for the bad boys.Or alternatively, Wonpil gets her heart broken various times and unknowingly breaks some hearts in return.(Inspired by Day6's "Bad Boy" cover)





	1. I'm a bad boy

**Author's Note:**

  * For [1roomdisco](https://archiveofourown.org/users/1roomdisco/gifts).



> For 1roomdisco because I honestly just love his girl!Wonpil works so much.
> 
> (If you haven't listened to Day6's 'Bad Boy' by BigBang cover yet then I would greatly recommend it, since this story is based on the lyrics and honestly, just do your ears this favour.)

 

Wonpil likes to call herself a good girl.

She makes sure to always be polite and help people wherever she can – be it helping an old lady carry her heavy grocery bag or buying a crying kid a new ice cream cone because the previous one fell down. She tries to show her parents how thankful she is and how much she loves them, holds the promises dear she makes with her friends and gives her best at school.

This is why she knows for sure that Kang Younghyun is a bad boy.

He skips almost all of their classes, and if he does show up he’s late and won’t really pay attention to the rest of it. There’s nearly always a bruise somewhere on his face and Wonpil wonders if it comes from fighting or if he’s maybe just clumsy like her. (She tries not to listen to all the rumors of his bruises clearly coming from fights. She is a good girl after all.)

She knows he’s bad news by the cold way he acts and his attitude towards teachers and other schoolmates. How he didn’t even return her apologies when they bumped shoulders in the hallway and just gave her a cold up-and-down before locking eyes with her, even though it had clearly been him who pushed her to the side.

Yet her heart couldn’t help the small skip it made.

Jaehyung had ushered her away with a dirty look thrown over his shoulder at Younghyun and asked her if she was alright – one of the few times he openly showed affection and care towards her. Back then she didn’t really know how to answer him and just nodded.

The encounter left her breathless and very confused.

 

* * *

 

The next time she gets to interact with Younghyun, the other isn’t even awake for it. It’s Tuesday afternoon, the sky is painted in a bright orange-red and it’s her turn for class duty. She’s supposed to do it together with Younghyun but the elder didn’t turn up for class again today - she doesn’t have high hopes of him returning to help her clean up. So to say she’s mildy surprised when she sees him sleeping at his table in the far back corner of the classroom after she returned from bringing out the trash might be an understatement.

He’s sleeping with his head laid on his folded arms facing the classroom and Wonpil is slightly overwhelmed with what to do. On one hand she could let him be and clean up on her own. On the other she could wake him up and demand that he help her like he’s supposed to – but then again, he would probably just glare at her before leaving.

Biting her underlip to surpress a distressed whine, she moves the tables and chairs as carefully as possible, making as little sound as she can as to not wake him up.

She’s attentively moping the ground at the back near where Younghyun’s sitting when she peeks a glance at his sleeping face. Younghyun is handsome, Wonpil might even call him pretty, and she notes that if it weren’t for his permanent scowl and cold attitude that he would probably have the attention of a lot of girls (but as it is, he likes to lash out at their classmates and therefor all the girls’ attention is kept on Dowoon).  
When her gaze moves down from his long lashes and prominent cheekbones she belatedly notices his split lip. The cut looks fresh and judging by the crusted blood around it also unattended.

Wonpil worries her bottom-lip with her teeth for a few seconds before she carefully puts the mop back into the supply closett and gets her bag. She silently pulls out one of the pink band-aids (they have the same pattern as her favorite sweater) that she always keeps with her because of her own tendency to injure herself and puts it next to Younghyun’s hand on the table. She quickly scurries off after with a rapidly beating heart and red cheeks. She doesn’t notice the now opened pair of eyes watching her leave.

The day after in the short break between math and literature she’s goofing around with Jaehyung like usual, the elder teasing her and trying to avoid her small angry fists, when the door to the classroom suddenly bangs open.  
Wonpil turns her head in shock and is even more surprised when she sees Younghyun striding in. He sneers at the girls crowding around Dowoon’s sleeping figure like usual as he makes his way to his table in the corner next to Dowoon’s.

At her side Jae lets out a noise of surprise at actually seeing Younghyun come to a lesson on time but it quickly turns into a snort when said male once again gets into an argument with Dowoon’s admireres. Wonpil wonders how the younger always manages to sleep through the commotion.

She only notices that she’s been starring when she suddenly locks gazes with Younghyun and her breath catches before she quickly whips around in her seat with wide eyes. Jaehyung mockingly asks her why her face is so red, but she ignores him in favour of trying to calm her beating heart before she carefully chances another peek over her shoulder.

Younghyun is now leaned back in his seat looking out the window with a bored expression.  
With his head tilted to the side Wonpil notices the band-aid at his lip with a fluttering heart, only for it to deflate again whe she sees that it’s not the one she left him. Honestly, she doesn’t know what she was expecting, he probably didn’t even see it yesterday or just ignored it.  
Wonpil turns back around with a sullen expression and tells herself that she is not disappointed, _she is not._

She is.

 

* * *

 

It’s not unusual that Wonpil runs out of band-aids, she is after all rather clumsy and tends to injure herself.

What is unusual though, is her special choice of band-aids.

They’re a bright pink with the same pattern as her favorite sweater and Jaehyung hates them just as much as he hates the sweater. Which honesty, only spurrs Wonpil on to keep buying them. So once in a while Wonpil will walk down the streets towards the only convenience store that sells them by the main road to restock on band-aids.

It just so happens to be one of those evenings when she breezes into the store with the intent to just quickly buy a packet of band-aids and maybe a drink. She doesn’t really spare a glance at the cashier as she walks past with a soft greeting, already set out for the aisle with her intended purchase.

It’s when she’s taking a can of iced tea out of the fridge, pack of band-aids in hand, that she hears some commotion come from the front. Curiosity takes the best of her as she leans back to try and get a better look at what is happening by the cash register.

To her shock she spots Younghyun standing behind it clad with the store’s uniform vest, his shoulders haunched and hands in his pockets. Wonpil wonders how she didn’t notice him when she walked in.

“Yah! Take your hands out of your pockets and stand straight when I’m talking to you!” The man next to Younghyun berates him rather loudly as the younger begrudgingly obliges. The man that must be the store’s manager slams his hand onto the counter and points at the bills in the cash register with an angry face. “The amount doesn’t add up, you must have taken some!”

He reaches out and pinches Younghyun’s ear before the other flinches away from the touch with an annoyed expression. “Look at all these piercings and this attitude! What has become of the youth nowadays?! Of course you stole something, I should have known with your appearance!”

Wonpil is aghast at the man’s groundless accusations and how he just hurt Younghyun like that. Sure, the other male might look like a bit of a ruffian but that doesn’t mean that the manager can just blame him like that without proof.

Wonpil angrily stomps up to the counter and inserts herself between the two, much to their surprise. She doesn’t get to linger long on Younghyun’s wide eyes before she’s already turning to the manager with her best placating smile.

“Sir, there must be a mistake here! I’ve been in this shop for a while and I didn’t notice Younghyun steal anything, he’s been a model employee the whole time!”

The man squints down at her small frame and eyes her suspiciously. “Who are you? His girlfriend? And so what if you didn’t see anything, he probably did it earlier in the day.” Wonpil feel the anger rise in her as she squares up her shoulders but tries to remain calm, she is after all a good girl.

“Can you proof that he’s the one who did it? How do you even know that something got stolen? For all you know there might just not have been a large amount of customers today.”

The manager takes clear offense at her words if the way his nostrils flare is any indication. He sneers at them with clear disdain. “Is this how the youth is these days? With no respect for their superiors and elders!? I don’t negotiate with kids! I wonder why I even hired you!”

She’s honestly tried her best and stayed polite and reasonable but there just doesn’t seem to be any reasoning left with this man. Her cheeks puff up slightly in anger at the older man’s unbelievable attitude.

“Fine! If you don’t want us here then we’ll just leave!”

She takes Younghyun’s hand in hers and angrily walks past the stunned manager and out of the store.

It must say something about how astounded the other is that he just silently follows her and let’s her hold his hand all the way down the streets to the playground near her house, where she let’s go and plops down on one of the swings with an irritated huff.  
She let’s out a noise of frustration as she angrily kicks out her legs. Younghyun follows her lead and sits down on the swing next to her as he watchs Wonpil’s small anger tantrum in wonder.

“I can’t believe how he just accused you like that! Aren’t employers supposed to take care of their employees?” She turns to the other with a small pout, her eyebrows drawn into a frown. Younghyun just nods along dazedly before she turns to do punching motions into the air. “He made me so angry! How can someone be so unreasonable! I will never go to that store again!”

She fumes angrily as she continues punching the air but is shaken out of it when she hears a chuckle coming from her side. She turns her head in wonder to see Younghyun smiling at her, his fox-like eyes turning into crecents and that sight is so surreal to her that she is left staring at his handsome face, her heartbeat picking up with every second.

“It might be better that you don’t go back since you just stole something.” Wonpil is still taken back by his smile that it takes her a few seconds for Younghyun’s words to sink in as she blinks at him with wide eyes. “Huh?”

She follows his gaze to where it’s directed at something in her lap, only to see the ice tea and pack of band-aids lying there innocently. She let’s out a loud squeak and almost falls off the swing.  
Oh god, did she really just steal something? Is she a criminal now!?

Wonpil quickly stops that train of thought. Honestly, that man had deserved it! She turns to Younghyun with an angry huff to tell him just as much.

“That man deserved it! I don’t feel bad stealing from him.”

In return Younghyun throws his head back in laughter and Wonpil feels her cheeks warm up at how happy and open the other looks right now.

As his laughter slowly dies down, he turns to smile at her in awe. “Not such a good girl after all, huh?”

Wonpil tries to hide her red cheeks by looking at her lap but it doesn’t seem to be working judging by the smile she feels directed at her. Wonpil quickly tries to change the topic to spare her sanity.

“I’m sorry I just dragged you out like that. I probably just cost you your job, oh god.” Horror seeps into her as the realization dawn on her, but Younghyun’s knowing smile reassures her.

“Nah, I’m glad you did. He had already been a douche to me when I was just a customer there.”

Wonpil cocks her head at that information in puzzlement. “Then why would you start working there?”

“I needed some money.” Is his short answer, and Wonpil almost thinks that’s it but then Younghyun continues, his smile suddenly turning – dare Wonpil say – almost shy. “Also they sell something a person I’m interested in likes to buy. And I kind of hoped I would get to see them.”

Wonpil once again follows his gaze to the pack of band-aids in her lap and she feels her heart almost leap out of her chest with the way it starts beating rapidly. The hand that had been holding onto Younghyun’s hand ealier suddenly feels too warm from where she is holding onto the swing with it.

Maybe Younghyun being a bad boy isn’t such bad news for her after all.

 

* * *

 

The first time Younghyun kisses her is under the shade of the tree behind the soccer-field. It’s a warm spring day that she gets her first kiss.

Because of the heat Wonpil has the front part of her hair tied back in a low pony-tail where it flows down with the rest of her untied hair. Younghyun kisses her with a force behinde it like he wants to ingrain the feel of her lips into his memory. But he also cradles her head like she’s something delicate and plays with the hair of her pony-tail after they part like he doesn’t want to stop yet. Her eyes cross as she smiles up at him brightly.

It’s a warm spring day that she gets her first kiss, it’s also the day she gets her first boyfriend.

 

When she excitedly tells Jae about her relationship with Younghyun, his happy expression immediately drops into one of shock, before he congratulates her with a strained smile not quite reaching his eyes. There are no jokes or teasing like there usually would be.  
Wonpil expected him to be shocked but something seems to be bothering the elder. She let’s it rest and doesn’t prod, knowing that Jae would need time to ponder over it himself before he could open up to her about it.

 

On their first date Younghyun brings her to the arcade. He shows up at her front door with a helmet under his arm and another one held out for her, there’s a black motorcycle parked behind him.

Wonpil feels like fainting.

He tells her to hold onto him tightly and Wonpil happily obliges, trying not to scream when he starts the engine. She has her eyes closed in fear and wonders if she’s bruising his ribs with how tightly she’s hugging him.  
When she cracks one of her eyes open, she realizes that it actually isn’t that scary as they zoom down the roads, that it’s actually fun. Younghyun spares a glance at her over his shoulder and winks. Her eyes curve in her bright smile as answer.

At the arcade he shows her around the games he likes and Wonpil discovers a brand new side to Younghyun. His almost childlike excitement with certain games or when he wins. How competitive he can get and how determined he can become once he sets his goal onto something. It’s how he manages to win her a fox-doll from the crane machine, that she lovingly names after him. In return she lets him win a few rounds at Street Fighter.

At the end of the date he kisses her goodbye at her front door, just as forcefully yet delicately as he did under the shade of the tree.

 

The rest of the student body doesn’t learn of their relationship since Younghyun still skips school regularly and they therefor don’t really get to show skinship at school. Wonpil naturally misses her boyfriend during the school hours, but that’s okay because she has Jae keeping her company who lately seeks more of her attention than usual.

After school though, when almost everyone has gone home, Younghyun will wait for her at the school gates with a helmet held out for her and his motorcycle behind him. They will drive down the road with Wonpil clinging onto him and both of them laughing.

Wonpil doesn’t know where Younghyun vanishes to most days he skips school, doesn’t know what he does to always have some fresh new bruise somewhere on his body. She’s learnt not to ask after she had once tried to get an answer out of her boyfriend about the cut above his eyebrow until Younghyun had snapped at Wonpil to mind her own business.

Wonpil had shrunken back in shock and Younghyun had immediately apologized, his face full of regret as he cradled her close.

But Wonpil was once again reminded that Younghyun is still a bad boy.

So instead of asking and wondering, she has taken to carrying more band-aids and and some salve with her to tend to Younghyun’s constantly resurfacing wounds.

(She tries not to mind how her pink band-aids are always quickly replaced with normal ones. She tries not to be disappointed, tries not to read too much into it.)

 

* * *

 

To make up for the lost time that they don’t get to see each other in school and when Younghyun can’t come to pick her up, he promised her after he had snapped at her, to always call her at least once a day. And Wonpil is happy with that, the calls have become the highlight of her day on the ones she doesn’t get to see Younghyun.

Jae just scoffed at her when she told him about it, but Wonpil wasn’t offended anymore, she has come to terms with the fact that Jae and her boyfriend somehow don’t seem to like each other.

Wonpil doesn’t mind that sometimes the calls only last a few minutes because Younghyun is busy with something. Sometimes he doesn’t manage to call at all and it will be Wonpil who has to call him but that’s also okay, because Younghyun always apologizes and tries to somehow make it up to her. Be it a surprise date or an especially long phonecall, he tries and Wonpil appreciates that.

Younghyun promised her that he would be there for the boys’ basketball tournament of their grade and Wonpil promised she would cheer him on the loudest (much to Jae’s dismay that for once, she wouldn’t be cheering for him).

Wonpil cheers and claps with all her might and is easily the loudest person cheering Younghyun on, even if she isn’t nearly as loud as Dowoon’s fanclub. She’s also the only person cheering for Younghyun, but judging by the warm smiles that he sends her way, he doesn’t mind, has always only ever cared for her.  
(She is so absorbed in Younghyun that she misses the other pair of eyes watching her.)

Nearing the end of the tournament there is a two vs. two match left with Younghyun and Dowoon against Jae and Sungjin. Wonpil is torn for a short moment for betraying Jae like that but one glance at Younghyun practically glowing from the exercise has her choose her side pretty fast.

She is slightly taken back by how vigorously Sungjin seems to be trying to block Younghyun from being able to shoot, almost like it’s a personal vendetta.

In the end though Dowoon manages to pass to Younghyun and he in return manages to get past Sungjin and jumps to shoot a three-pointer. Wonpil holds her breath as the basketball flies through the air in a perfect arc right through the ring. She jumps up with a loud cheer as Dowoon’s fanclub simultanously goes wild next to her.

They run onto the court to swarm Dowoon to congratulate him, talking rapidly over each other to the exhausted looking boy. On her way through the court she catches his eyes and gives him a small congratulative smile before she spots Jae standing next to Sungjin. She walk over and hits Jae’s back consolingly with a small smile. “Cheer up, you were great!” She then turns to Sungjin to smile at him as well. “You played great, too, Sungjin oppa.”

Before he can answer she’s already turning away, vanishing in the mass of people to run straight into Younghyun’s arms as he catches her with a bright laugh. Amidst the chaos of Dowoon’s fanclub and the other loud basketball teams, the pair tightly embrassing each other in the middle goes unnoticed.

Wonpil only has eyes for her boyfriend as they steal their way through people and out of the gymnasium, giggling the whole way.  
(Misses the pair of eyes watching her leave longingly.)

And in those moments it’s perfect, it’s enough for Wonpil.

 

Until it isn’t.

 

* * *

 

Their phonecalls become shorter and shorter, and Younghyun’s reasons become more and more vague. The days Wonpil has to call him become more frequent and even then he sometimes doesn’t pick up, doesn’t call back. He doesn’t take her on spontaneous dates anymore and doesn’t wink at her over his shoulder anymore when he drives her home.

Wonpil wonders where it all went wrong.

Now when she kneels down next to him under the shade of the tree to tend to his wounds, Younghyun only takes the band-aids from her and tells her to not bother with it before kissing her to stop any form of protest.

( She tries not to see how he always uses other band-aids the next day, always others, just not hers.)

She’s waiting by the school gate one late afternoon, the sky already orange-red but the last rays of the sun still warm on her skin. She’s waiting, waiting for Younghyun who had promised to pick her up today. She checks her phone to see if maybe he had called or texted her, only to see that he’s already twenty minutes late and that he hasn’t contacted her.

Wonpil let’s out a sad sigh before she dials Younghyun’s number. It rings for a few seconds before he picks up with a rushed “Yeah?” Wonpil can hear laughter and noises in the background and wonders where Younghyun is.

“Oppa? I’ve been waiting for you to pick me up.” On the other side of the line Younghyun let’s out an indistinct chain of curses before he talks into the speaker again.

“Shit, Wonpillie, I’m sorry. I’m kind of held up at the moment.” She hears cheers coming from the background where ever Younghyun is and painfully notes that it isn’t anything serious that’s holding him up from her. “Don’t wait up for me, Wonpillie.”

“Okay, I’ll call you later.”  She quickly adds, but Younghyun only answers with a “Yeah, sure.” sounding distracted.

Wonpil tries not to cry as she walks home. She wonders what happened to their promises. Is she the only one holding on to them?

Wonpil doesn’t call Younghyun that day, or the next day. She isn’t surprised when he doesn’t call her back, either.

 

* * *

  

“What’s up, Wonpil? Why did you want to meet here?” Younghyun walks up to where Wonpil was waiting for him under the shade of the tree behind the soccer-field. He reaches out to her and tries to pull her into a kiss, but Wonpil evades his touch and chooses to look at the tips of her shoes as he looks at her in confusion.

“Pillie?”

She tries to steady herself, tries not to cry as she readies herself for her next words.

“Let’s break up.”

Younghyun’s arms drop to his side from where they had been held out reaching for her.

“You want to…. break.. up?”

Wonpil nods her head, still looking down so Younghyun won’t see her glistening eyes.

The sun is just as warm as on the day Younghyun first kissed her under this tree and it feels like it’s mocking Wonpil for having such a fragile heart.

“You’ve been neglecting me for a while, a-and the worst part is… is that you didn’t even notice how you-you hurt me.” Wonpil tries, she tries so hard to not ler her voice waver or crack, but knows that she ultimately failed. “So I think it’s best-it’s best if we… break up.”

The silence settles heavily between them. Wonpil doesn’t dare look up at Younghyun, afraid that she will crumble and beg him to forget she ever mentioned breaking up, afraid of what she will find on his face, afraif he won-

“Okay.”

The word shocks her out of her thoughts and stabs her heart so deeply that she whips her head up to look at Younghyun. His expression is unreadable and closed off - but most of all, he seems unbothered.

And that rips Wonpil’s already fragile heart in two.

She doesn’t know what she expected, but it certainly wasn’t this easy nonchalance, like it was nothing for Younghyun. She had hoped that he would protest, would fight for her, that he would show that he still cares for her.

“I guess it was never going to work out anyway.” Younghyun says with his hands in his pockets, looking off towards the soccer-field. “What with me just being who I am and you – well, you being so _good_.”

Normally something like that would be a compliment. Then so why does it feels so much like it’s not with the way Younghyun said it? Why does Wonpil’s fragile heart have to suffer so much?

“So, friends, I guess?” Younghyun asks her, body already halfway turned away from her. Wonpil just nods her head absentmindedly. “Yeah, sure.”

She waits until the sound of Younghyun’s footsteps has vanished, and only then does she allow herself to let out a sob and cry her heart out.

Younghyun was bad news after all. Wonpil tells herself to never fall for a bad boy again.

 

* * *

  

Wonpil keeps being a good girl, even with the hurtful words Younghyun had left her with that day. She smiles and greets everyone with a smile, even when she still has to recover from her broken heart, but it helps her. Making others happy helps her tend to her own pain.  
In his own strange ways Jaehyung tries to cheer her up and distract her from the person sitting in the back corner of the classroom.

For the first time Wonpil had tought that it was a blessing that she and Younghyun had mostly seen each other outside of school, had thought that it would be easier for her to get over him since she wouldn’t see him at school often.  
But as if to torment her, Younghyun has suddenly taken to regularly attending class after they broke up. Wonpil doesn’t want to know why, doesn’t want to know if the gaze she feels is because she’s sitting in his field of vision or because he’s actually looking at her, she only knows that it hurts to see him everyday.

So she has taken to seek refuge in the school’s library when she couldn’t take Younghyun’s presence anymore. It has helped her, sitting between two shelves and burrying herself in the pages of a book. And slowly with time, she feels her heart repair itself as she starts coming to the library more frequently not because of Younghyun, but because of her own craving for books.

And because of Sungjin.

Park Sungjin is the exact opposite of what Wonpil would call a bad boy. Sungjin is only a year older than her but it already shows in the way he carries himself, in his calm aura and mature personality. He takes his role as student council president serious and always stays in the top with his grades. His smile is small but incredibly warm and reliable.

They’re in the same class but Wonpil had never really interacted much with him, their longest conversation being when they had done a group project together at school with two other people.

It isn’t really until a certain day that Wonpil notices just how warm Sungjin is.

Wonpil is once again sitting on the ground leaned against a shelve at the back of the library, book propped up on her bent knees. She’s so immersed in the history of flight and airplanes, that she doesn’t even notice that there’s a person behind the shelve in front of her until she hears the shuffling of books.

She looks up from her spot on the ground to peek through the gap that has been created in one of the upper rows. What she sees is a handsome side profile that whipes her head blank for a short moment. Basked in the warm light shining through the wide windows of the library, Sungjin’s big nose and long eyelashes are illuminated as he’s leafing through a book about roman history with a concentrated expression. His eyes sparkle as they reflect the light and her heart skips a beat.

Wonpil startles when she catches herself staring and quickly lifts her book to hide her own shame behind it.

 

* * *

 

It becomes somewhat of a common occurrence, Wonpil will find herself sitting between the shelves in the library reading the book she chose for that day until she hears shuffling coming from the shelve in front of her. From then she will steal glances through the gaps at Sungjin inbetween reading her book, until they have to go back to class.

She doesn’t know how Sungjin always ends up going through the shelve a row in front of her but Wonpil doesn’t complain. She enjoys the comfort the routin and Sungjin’s calm presence brings her (enjoys the warmth she feels from the first buds of a growing crush).

 

One day the routine Wonpil had built for herself gets shaken. It’s still the early beginning of her free period and she’s standing between the shelves in the far back, looking through the row of books for the one she will choose this day. She’s leafing through an anthology of old love letters when she hears shuffling.

Wonpil looks up through the gaps, surprised if Sungjin is early today and is even more startled when she doesn’t spot Sungjin on the other site of the shelve but instead in the same aisle as her just a few steps away.  
Their gazes meet for a moment before Sungjin quickly looks away like he was caught staring, looking flustered. Wonpil’s cheeks redden as she also averts her gaze. She wonders how long he’s been here already. Judging by the three books in his hands, Wonpil must have been too immersed in her book to have noticed his arrival.

Her heartbeat quickens as Wonpil wonders if Sungjin had been watching her.

Carefully she dares a small peek at Sungjin, only for their gazes to meet again before they both scramble to look back down at their books. Her cheeks are a vivid shade of pink by now and her eyes are wide in shock as she looks at the pages without really looking at them. Had Sungjin really been watching her?

Her heart thumps loudly in her chest as she slowly lifts her head. This time when their gazes meet Wonpil gives Sungjin a shy smile as she brushes a strand of hair behind her ear self-conciously. The elder startles a bit at being caught again but then gives her a small smile back, a light blush dusting his cheeks.

Wonpil’s fragile heart won’t calm down for the rest of the period.

 

* * *

 

In the early morning, the minutes before the first period begins, Wonpil usually either revises her homework or the material from the day before or she jokes around with Jaehyung. Today it’s the former as she abesentmindedly taps her pencil against her lips while she pours through her notes, Jaehyung in the seat next to her looking at his phone once again on Twitter.

They both look up when a shadow falls over their shared desk and Wonpil lets her pen fall onto her notes as she stares up at Sungjin with her slightly crossed eyes wide open.  
Jae is more relaxed as he greets the other with a lazy wave and a “What’s up, man?” before he turns back to his phone. Sungjin fidgets lightly where he stands, but then regains himself and radiates his usual composed aura as he greets Jae back before he turns a handsome smile towards Wonpil.

Wonpil’s heart skips a beat.

“Hey Wonpil, I was wondering if you could explain yesterday’s math problem to me? You seemed like you understood it.” He flashes her a blinding smile and his eyes sparkle again as he looks at her expectantly.

Wonpil is left speechless for various reasons, one being how handsome Sungjin is, the other being that Sungjin – the smartest person in their grade right after Dowoon himself – is asking her to teach him something. If Wonpil remembers correctly, Sungjin didn’t seem like he had a problem yesterday in the math lesson and she heard that he takes various after school lessons, so she’s a bit confused  as to why he’s asking her. But Wonpil definitely won’t say no to a chance to interact with her crush.

Sungjin seems to understand her silence wrong as he lifts one hand placatingly, his eyes softening in understanding and disappointment. “You don’t have to feel obliged to help me, it’s okay if you don’t wan-“

“No, I would gladly explain it to you!”

Wonpil slaps a hand over her own mouth as she looks up at the elder with eyes wide in embarrassment at how loudly and eagerly she had just agreed. Some heads - including Jaehyung’s who is now squinting at her – have turned at her loud exclamation and Wonpil is honestly so embarrassed. But then Sungjin chuckles lightly at her, his voice raspy yet warm, and his composed aura radiates happiness as he smiles at her.

“Thank you, Wonpil.”

Wonpil tries to fight down the blush on her cheeks in vain.

 

She points out the key-problems and the ways to solve them from yesterday’s math lesson to Sungjin as they sit closely huddled together at his table. Their shoulders and arms brush from time to time and up this close Wonpil catches a whiff of Sungjin’s earthy tea-tree scent. To say the least, she has a hard time concentrating.  
She notes though that Sungjin doesn’t seem to have any problem following her at all, even as he is a bit distracted. He’s not exactly distracted in the sense that he’s not paying attention to her, it’s more like he’s not exactly listening to her words, like he’s slightly dazed.

Wonpil has the slight suspicion that Sungjin didn’t have any problem understanding the maths assignment to beginn with. But then why would he ask her to explain it to him? She wonders as she brushes her hair out of her face and moves a bit closer to get a better look at the next page.

“This is how you have to bring the –log onto the other side. It’s simpler this way, isn’t it, oppa?”

When Sungjin doesn’t answer, Wonpil turns her head to look at him only to startle at how close she had moved to the other. Their faces are a few centimeters appart as they look at each other with wide eyes. Sungjin’s cheeks are dusted red and Wonpil can feel the blush rising on her own cheeks as well.

The elder ducks his head sheepishly at having been caught staring and rubs his neck. But then he lifts his head again a bit to smile timidly up at her. The butterflies in her stomach flutter as she shyly smiles back at Sungjin.  
(They’re so lost in each other that Wonpil completely misses the pair of eyes watching her sadly from the back of the class.)

 

* * *

  

There’s a soft melody coming out of the music room when Wonpil walks down the corridor. She curiously peeks through the door and is surprised when she sees Sungjin sitting in front of the piano. His eyes are focused on the keys as he plays a slow melody and Wonpil is transfixed in her spot.

Adding musical talent atop of Sungjin’s already impressive list of talents, Wonpil wonders how much more of a good boy the elder can become.

As if hearing her toughts, Sungjin turns his head slightly and their eyes lock. Wonpil lets out a squeak at having been caught staring and quickly hides behind the door like he hadn’t already seen her.

“Wonpil?”

She closes her eyes and bites down on her lips at her own stupidity before she gets up to meekly peek through the door. “Hello, Sungjin oppa.”

The elder’s eyes are sparkling in the warm sunlight as he looks at her in surprise. She shuffles her feet and watchs him rub his neck shyly, but then he scoots up the piano bench and gives her a small smile. Her heart skips lighty as she takes the silent invitation and closes the door behind her softly before she sits down next to him, their elbows brushing.

“I didn’t know you can play the piano.”

She tells him as she watches him play a few notes with his left hand. The melody is soft but joyfull.

“I only play a little bit, actually I prefere the guitar.”

Wonpil brushes a loose strand of hair behind her ear and she smiles shyly at him. “Wow, that’s still amazing that you can play both!”

Sungjin’s cheeks turn a light shade of red at her praise as he glances at her. The melody he’s playing with his left hand picks slightly up in tone and speed, syncing with their heartbeats.

Wonpil recognizes the melody and joins in with her right hand. They play together and Wonpil humms lightly to the melody before she closes her eyes to sing softly.

When she opens them again after a while, she blushes when she sees Sungjin smiling at her in wonder. She averts her gaze in embarrassment at having lost herself in the moment, but then a soft baritone voice floods through the room. She looks at Sungjin in awe.

His voice is raspy but has a soft edge and Wonpil has never heard anything more beautiful. She joins in again and her soft higher pitched voice harmonizes beautifully with his as they keep playing the melody.

On the bench between them, their hands have moved closer until the tips of their fingers were touching.

 

* * *

 

Dowoon’s fanclub is once again cheering loudly next to her as they watch another basketball tournament, this time only for their class though. Jae is being his usual hyper self as he runs past the stands for high fives and Wonpil laughs loudly behind her hand when he strikes some funny poses after.

It’s back to their usual with her cheering the loudest for her best friend, and this time she isn’t torn when Jae is put against Younghyun once again. Her heart is too distracted by Sungjin joining on Jae’s side, and it thumps loudly when he brushes his sweaty hair up from his forehead. His skin seems to be glowing under the dim light and Wonpil feels out of breath.

Dowoon manages to score a point with Younghyun’s help and the girls around her go crazy, but Wonpil stays steadfast.

“Come on, Jae!” She calls with her hands cupping her mouth, before she also adds a “And Sungjin!”

As if strengthened by her cheers, Jae throws for a three pointer. The ball ultimately bounces off the ring but then Sungjin runs up and catches the rebound to score with a lay-up. Wonpil claps and laughs brightly in joy as she cheers, but then Sungjin suddenly turns around like he heard her.

They lock gazes and Wonpil feels her breath knocked out once again. He looks at her with eyes wide in awe and his body taut like he is holding his breath. She smiles at him, her eyes curving in joy and he breaks out into a laugh himself, upper body relaxing and smile so bright it lights up the gym.

Wonpil’s small heart skips a beat.

When the game ends, it’s with another win for Dowoon and Younghyun, the former’s fanclub already running onto the court to surround him again. Jae seems a bit down at having lost to them again but Sungjin doesn’t seem to mind as he threads through the throng of people with a quickly beating heart.

Wonpil is also walking past the people after giving Jae a quick consoling hug, past Dowoon and his fanclub, past Younghyun who seems to be just standing there. She doesn’t spare any of them a glance until Sungjin and her promptly stop in front of each other, both slightly out of breath and both wide eyed.

“Would you –“

“You were -“

They both start at the same time before chuckling at their own awkwardness. Sungjin smiles at her, still sweaty from the exercise but his skin and aura glowing.

“You were cheering for me.” He says, sounding out of breath and looking at her in wonder.

“I was.” Wonpil confirms.

“W-would you go like to go on a date? With me?” His eyes are sparkling and Wonpil’s heart stutters.

“I woud.” She nods her head eagerly and softly takes his hand in hers. “I would like to go on a date. With you.”

He softly squeezes her small hand in return as she cutely smiles up at him. His usually composed aura radiates happiness as he beams down at her.

(There are eyes watching them in disappointment but she doesn’t notice.)

 

* * *

 

Sungjin takes her to a music store on their first date. At first she’s confused why he would bring her here, but then he takes an accoustic guitar off the wall and starts tuning it before leading her to a piano in the corner. He smiles encouragingly at her as she sits down on the piano bench, mindful of her skirt. She pulls her sweater paws back and Sungjin strums the first chord on the guitar, a soft major tone that she soon accompanies with a key of her own.

The melody flows freely between them and their instruments harmonize perfectly, just like their heartbeats. Wonpil closes her eyes and tilts her head back as she lets the music guide her. Behind her Sungjin watchs her in awe, his eyes are sparkling as she smiles at him over her shoulder, her own eyes crinkling in joy.

(Outside, someone walks past the shop but stops when he sees her. He takes out his earphones and listens to her play.)

 

It’s already dark outside when Sungjin walks her home. They chatter about trivial stuff but Wonpil still enjoys herself. Once in a while their hands will brush from where they’re walking side by side and she will try not to stutter in whatever she was saying. Sungjin doesn’t seem to be much better off judging by the pink hue on his cheeks.

He seems to take a rush of confidence though. They’re walking past the playground and Wonpil is happily retelling one of Jae’s pranks when warm fingers enclose hers. She stutters in her story as she looks at their now joined hands.

Sungjin’s hand is a lot bigger than hers and his fingers are calloused, possibly from playing the guitar and writing all the time, but it’s also warm and soothing and Wonpil feels tingles spreading from the point of contact into her whole body.

Sungjin smiles gently down at her and Wonpil returns it shyly.

(She misses the figure sitting on one of the swings watching her wistfully.)

She honestly expected Sungjin to kiss her in front of her door, but she forgot that he is a good boy. He only squeezes her hand softly after saying goodbye before he’s already turning around and walking away. She watchs him for a few stunned seconds before she quickly runs after him. His eyes are wide in surprise when she grabs his shoulder to turn him around. He opens his mouth to ask her if something’s wrong but is promptly shut up when she leans onto the tip of her toes and kisses his cheek softly.

He’s stunned as he watchs her run back and into her house quickly, absentmindedly touching the cheek she had kissed with a dopey smile.

 

* * *

 

Sungjin finally kisses her after their fourth date.

He takes her out to a nice little corner restaurant and they eat dumplings there. She notes that Sungjin eats a lot, but he does so cleanly with manners. The aunty managing the restaurant coos at them and Sungjin doesn’t correct her when she calls them a couple. Wonpil wonders if that means they’re official now.

After dinner they take a small walk by the Han-river. It’s starting to become colder and Wonpil shivers lightly during their walk. Sungjin suddenly parts their hands and Wonpil looks at him questioningly, but then he’s taking his jacket off and puts it over her shoulders.

Warmth spreads through her at the gentle action and how close Sungjin is leaning to adjust his jacket on her petite frame. She looks up at him slightly cross eyed when he doesn’t lean back directly after. His eyes are trained on her pink lips and then there’s a hand under her chin gently guiding her closer until their lips meet.

The touch is light at first before he tilts his head slightly and presses oh so closer. Sungjin kisses her gently but with insistence behind it like she is something precious and Wonpil’s fingers curl where they’re fisted in Sungjin’s shirt.

 

When she tells Jaehyung about it he just wrinkles his nose and tells her to stop talking about it. Wonpil doesn’t mind, she’s come to understand that Jaehyung doesn’t like talking about her love life.

Wonpil has also come to understand that being a good boy brings a lot of tasks with it, at least in Sungjin’s case.

Sungjin’s duty as studentcouncil president takes up a lot of time, and addtionally to all the studying he does to keep his grades up he also takes extracuricular lessons and goes to cram-school. Sungjin is a busy body but they manage somehow. They spent their free periods together at the library and they study together after school. The smiles he gives her whenever she helps him with one of his studentcouncil duties is reward enough for her.

She understands that sometimes, he has to take care of his duties first and that she isn’t always his first priority. She can handle it because she knows that Sungjin loves her, had confessed to crushing on her since before she had even been in a relationship with Younghyun.

Wonpil holds that confession close to her fragile heart.

 

* * *

 

For Valentine’s day Wonpil has made a key chain for Sungjin. It was a small white bunny with buttons as eyes, a small representation of herself. She has various pink band-aids around her fingers from sewing it and Jaehyung asks her what she did again to injure herself like that but she just tells him it’s a secret.

The class is bustling with excitement for Valentine’s day and Wonpil almost can’t see Dowoon behind the big mountain of presents on his desk. He’s slowly picking through them while putting them on the ground like he’s looking for something. When he doesn’t seem to find it, he just buries his head in his folded arms and takes a nap like usual.

Wonpil doesn’t give it any more attention as she bounces up to where Sungjin is filling out some documents for the studentcouncil. She clears her throat to get his attention and when he looks up to see that it’s her, his gaze instantly softens.

“Good morning, Wonpil-ah.”

Her heart always skips a beat at his raspy voice and handsome smile.

She grins brightly at him before holding out the key chain she has been hiding behind her back. “Happy Valentine’s day, Sungjin!”

He takes the doll from her and looks at it with wide eyes before glancing at all the band-aids adorning her hand. His fingers are warm as always as he gently takes one of her hands in his. “Did you make this yourself?”

She nods her head shyly at his sparkling eyes. “It’s supposed to look like me!”

He takes another look at the bunny figure, at its small body and mismatched button eyes, before he gently kisses one of the band-aids on Wonpil’s hand. Her breath catches in her throat at the intimate action. Sungjin has never been a big fan of PDA, especially at school since it wasn’t appropriate for the place in his opinion and Wonpil has come to understand that.

She doesn’t have a lot of time to linger on that thought before Sungjin is standing up, the legs of his chair scratching against the ground, and then he’s pulling her in by the nape and kissing her lovingly.

The kiss draws a lot of attention and surprise from their class since it isn’t everyday their composed class and studencouncil president just kisses somebody. Wonpil doesn’t pay them any attention though as she melts in Sungjin’s arms. (Doesn’t notice when someone storms out of the classroom angrily.)

When they part, Sungjin’s eyes are twinkling in how wide he’s smiling at her. “Thank you Wonpil-ah, and happy Valentine’s day.”

She feels her heart bursting with happiness as she grins brightly up at her boyfriend. That happiness and the stolen smiles last her through the whole day, even when Sungjin rejects her offer to go on a date because of cram-school.

She doesn’t mind so much because he promises to make it up to her on White Day and she’s already looking forward to that.

 

* * *

 

On White Day Sungjin shows up at her door in her favorite stripped shirt of his and a bundle of white carnations in his hands. Wonpil swoons.

He takes her out to the same family restaurant they had their fourth date at and the aunty recognizes them as she happily serves them a plate of Yakgwas on the house.

Wonpil is talking about the latest book she has read when she notices Sungjin not paying attention to her. As she peers over the table she sees him intently typing on his phone. When she tells him her disapproval about that, he whips his head up to smile apologizingly at her. He tells her that it’s just a small matter with the studentcouncil.

Wonpil doesn’t see how that makes it any better.

They’re in the bus on the way to Sungjin’s home – he had promised to bake her something – when he’s once again typing on his phone. Wonpil tries not to mind too much as she’s looking out the window since they’re going to have the whole evening to themselves after all.

But then Sungjin is suddenly standing up and pulling on his bag even though Wonpil knows it’s not their stop yet. She looks up at him confusedly.

“I’m sorry but the studentcouncil is having some problems. While it’s nothing big, I would still prefere to be there.” He bends down to give her a quick kiss.

“I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Befor she can even really process what he just said or utter any form of protest, Sungjin’s already walking out the bus and leaving her in utter shock.

She closes her eyes and bites down on her lips before she lets out a long breath. If it’s nothing big, then why did he have to cancell on her? She wonders when she’ll ever come first for Sungjin but then quickly tells herself that it’s okay, because she knows that Sungjin loves her a lot.

Then she sees something white lying on the ground. It’s the key chain she had made for Sungjin and her delicate heart rips in two once again.

 

 

She gets off at the next stop, not knowing where exactly she is but she doesn’t care. Wonpil angrily wipes at her eyes, angry with herself for crying over this.

She’s surprised though when she sees a familiar figure leaning against the wall a few feet away. Younghyun looks equally surprised to see her when he looks up from his phone. Her cheeks flush in embarrassment at having been caught crying, by Younghyun none the less.

“What happened to make you cry?”

Wonpil looks up in surprise and Younghyun look – dare Wonpil say – angry? She shakes her head and laughs self-depracatingly as she tries to wipe away her unstopping tears. “It’s stupid. I expected too much and now I don’t even know where I am.”

Younghyun looks at her with an unreadable expression. “Trouble with your boyfriend?”

Wonpil startles and looks up at him in shock. He just smiles crookedly at her like she just confirmed it and she scruffs the ground with her foot as she looks down. There’s no problem if she tells him when he already knows anyway. “He ditched me and broke his promise.”

Younghyun’s breath catches slightly and he looks like he wants to say something, but they both know he can’t because hadn’t he done just the same to her? So instead he just pushes off the wall and holds out his helmet for her.

He smiles at her as he nudges his head towards where his motorcycle is parked. “I’ll take you home. C’mon, for old times’ sake.”

 

Once they have arrived in front of her doorway, she silently gives Younghyun his helmet back and they just stand there for a few seconds.

“Thank you for bringing me home.” She whispers softly, eyes still a bit red from crying. _Thank you for consoling me._ It goes unspoken but they both hear it anyway.

“No need to thank me.” He smiles self-deprecatingly while looking off ahead. “It’s what friends are for after all.”

He then puts the helmet back on and starts the engine before he takes off once again. Wonpil watchs him drive down the road before she goes inside.

 

* * *

 

The sky is a soft orange-pink the evening that Wonpil breaks up with Sungjin.

She’s leaning against the railing of the bridge, looking at the bunny key chain in her hands.  It’s been a few days since White Day and Sungjin hadn’t really apologized for ditching her after, nor had he mentioned anything about losing the key chain. She wonders if he has even noticed.

She hears footsteps coming from behind her and turns to see Sungjin walking up the bridge towards her with one of his handsome smiles. “Hey Wonpil-ah.”

His eyes are sparkling in the soft pink light and Wonpil feels like crying. She needs to stay strong, she needs to pull this through. So instead of really greating him, she just holds out the doll for him.

“Did you even notice that you lost it?”

Wonpil’s voice is shaky as she asks this and the wide eyes he directs at her are already answer enough for her.

“Wonpil, I’m so sor-“

“It’s okay, Sungjin.” She interrupts him with a soft smile.

Wonpil takes one of his hands and puts the key chain into it before she gently encloses his fingers around it.

“It’s okay.” She smiles painfully up at him, her eyes glistening with tears. “I’ve come to terms with the fact that I can’t come first. You are too responsible to neglect your duties for that. And I understand that. But that doesn’t mean that I have to accept it.”

He looks at her in devastation as he holds the bunny figure tightly in his hand. “Are you breaking up with… me?”

Sungjin’s voice is rough with emotions and Wonpil tries not to let the tears fall as she nods her head.

He let’s out a shaky breath and closes his eyes. Wonpil wonders if he will finally do something, if she can finally be first.

Her hope rises when he cups her face and carefully wipes away one of her stray tears. Sungjin smiles ruefully at her and her hope crumbles as fast as it rose.

“I’m sorry, I must have put you through a lot. You deserve better.”

Because he’s a bad boy, Sungjin pulls her into a hug when she breaks into tears and makes it even more painful for her. Because he’s a bad boy, he puts her through another heart break.

“I hope we can still be friends.”

Wonpil nods slightly where she has her face pressed against his now damp shirt.

Because Sungjin is a bad boy, he doesn’t fight for her.

And Wonpil learns that maybe Sungjin is too good of a boy. So good that he had to become bad.

 

* * *

  

Wonpil doesn’t show up to school for a few days. Her eyes are red and swollen from crying and she doesn’t think she can bear to see Sungjin again so soon.  
She’s startled though when there’s sudden banging against her front door until she hears Jaehyung’s muffled voice from behind it. “Wonpil, open up!”

She trudges to the door with her eyes still red, clad in an oversized hoodie she belatedly realizes is one of Jaehyung’s as she opens the door for said male.

“Hey Pirrie, what’s been hol-“

He stops talking the second he takes in her sad appearance and promptly guides her back inside as he closes the door behind him. He leads her to her room and gently leaves her on the bed before he returns with a glass of water and tissues.

He holds the glass against her lips in silent demand and she obliges. After she finished the glass she gives him a small thankfull smile as he puts it away onto the table. He then moves to sit down next to her and for once lets her be as she moves to lean against him, not minding his boney shoulder and instead finding comfort in it.

“Mind telling me what happened?”

Wonpil sniffles as new tears threaten to spill just at the thought of that evening. “I broke up with Sungjin.” She mutters into Jaehyung’s shirt sleve.

He stiffens slightly next to her before he puts a soothing arm around her shoulder and rubs it lightly - a silent encouragment for her to continue.

“I thought I was okay with not being his first priority, but I-I was n-not.” New tears slip down her cheeks and she muffles a sob in Jae’s shoulder as he quickly moves and grabs a tissue. He holds it out for her and she takes it thankfully.

“He stood me up so often and broke his promise, Jae!”

She clings onto the taller as she cries once again freely and he moves to wind his other arm around her as well in a comforting hug.

“W-with Younghyun it was ju-just the same.” Her voice cracks on a sob. “Did I bore them? Am I that unloveable?”

Jaehyung shifts and reaches out to lift her face up from where it had been burried in his shoulder. Carefully he wipes her tears away with a tissue. “Hey, hey, nothing of that self-deprecating talk, okay?”

He lifts her chin so she is looking directly into his eyes as he gazes down at her sternly. “You’re funny, you’re cute and most of all deserving of love. Those guys should be happy to have been able to call you their girlfriend, even with that pink sweater of yours.”

That finally manages to crack a laugh out of Wonpil and she throws herself at the taller to burry her face into his chest in a tight hug. After some hesitation he also wraps his arms around her waist and they just lie there like that for a few comfortable seconds.

“Thank you, Jae oppa.”

She closes her eyes as he softly brushes a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “It’s no problem, Pirrie.” Then, almost like an after thought, he quietly adds, “If it had been me, I would have treated you better.”

Wonpil’s eyes widen in surprise at that and her cheeks redden. It must not have been meant for her to hear though judging by the way Jaehyung suddenly springs up in shock.

“Hey, how about I cook us something!” He says loudly and promptly moves off the bed and quickly strides towards Wonpil’s kitchen.

Wonpil is quick to follow him as she laughs lightly at her friend. “The last time you tried to make us ramyun, you almost used soap instead of oil!”

(She tries not to think about the way her heart had skipped a beat at his words.)

 

 


	2. you're a good girl

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can you believe I finally updated this?  
> Plsease enjoy!! (And please don't kill me for the end game)

 

Jaehyung is what Wonpil would call the perfect in-between of a good boy and a bad boy. He’s too much of a dork to be a bad boy, always tweeting some dumb jokes or getting too fired up over some nerdy argument. But he’s also too much of a prankster to be called a good boy, either teasing Wonpil (always teasing her so much) or lazing the day away and not getting any homework done.

She doesn’t know how he managed to worm his way into her heart, maybe it was the other way around actually. All she remembers is that one second he was her new seat mate, and the next he was her best friend.

He tends to make fun of Wonpil for everything - be it her favorite sweater or her small height - but she’s come to realize that it’s his strange way of showing his love for her. She also knows how to counter him by now.

Jaehyung is holding her pack of band-aids in his stretched out arm, far above her reach as he’s cackling at her futile attempts to get them back.

“Jae!” She whines in frustration as she once again fails to reach them. “I will strangle you, if you don’t give them back!”

He pauses for a short moment before he grins down at her, his eyes glinting in mischief and Wonpil regrets ever having said something.

“Can you even reach that far up?”

She kicks him in the shin in retaliation.

 

* * *

 

For all his teasing and annoying habits, Wonpil still loves him a lot and is thankful for his presence. Especially in moments like these when Sungjin walks into the classroom with a new hair cut, greeting everyone and looking so handsome it hurts.

Unlike with Younghyun, she can’t take refuge in the library anymore, since the place is filled with memories of them together. She’s devastated and confused in such moments of what she should do to sooth her bleeding heart, but then Jaehyung is already pulling her aside and showing her some funny dog pictures on his phone.

She knows that he’s trying to distract her and Wonpil is so grateful for his presence.

 

“Have you thought about getting a job?”

Wonpil looks up from where she was sipping her tea to look at Jaehyung in surprise. They’re sitting in the elder’s favorite café and she was just talking about how she’s been unmotivated and down in her free time when he said that.

“You know, to help you feel more productive and to get over your-”, he pulls a face, “-heartbreak.”

She bites her bottom lip as she considers for a second. Honestly it isn’t a bad idea, it will distract her and she’ll even earn some money. It’s not like she has anything better to do in her newfound free time.

She smiles brightly at Jaehyung. “That's a good idea, oppa! I will think about it.”

In return he tries to hide his smile behind his cup and Wonpil has to bite her lips to suppress her own grin as she can still see his red cheeks and curved eyes over the rim.

 

* * *

 

The bell chimes softly as the door opens and Wonpil looks up from her place behind the counter to see Jaehyung walking in with Jimin. She presses her lips between her teeth in a contained smile as she sees that Jaehyung hadn’t seen her on his way in while heatedly discussing something with the other girl.

They sit down at a table by the window on her right as she watches them choose from the menu in anticipation. To her disappointment it’s Jimin who comes up to her at the counter while Jaehyung turns to his phone, probably to tweet something again.  
Jimin’s eyes widen in surprise when she sees her and Wonpil smiles at the other girl brightly.

“Hey Wonpil, I didn’t know that you’re working here.” Jimin smiles pleasantly at her and Wonpil wonders why she couldn’t have fallen for her.

“I just started some days ago.” She answers and Jimin hums in response. They talk for a bit more about small things until Jaehyung calls out to the other.

“Jimin, what’s taking you so long?” He asks without even looking up from his phone.

Said girl rolls her eyes in clear annoyance at him and Wonpil hides her giggles behind her hand before she asks what she can get for them.

When she finally walks over with their finished drinks on a tray, Jaehyung still hasn’t noticed her presence in the shop as he still seems to be arguing with Jimin about the topic from before.

She carefully sets their drinks down in front of them and smiles softly at Jimin when she thanks her. “Enjoy your drinks.”

She smiles warmly at them and tries not to laugh when she sees Jaehyung do a double-take before gaping at her in stunned silence. His mouth opens and closes a few times like a fish.

When Wonpil’s back behind the counter she can still see Jaehyung staring at her dazedly. She finally lets out her giggles behind her fist when Jimin starts to wave her hand in front of his face to snap him out of it, without success.

Her heart skips a light beat at his red cheeks. (Wonpil wonders if it’s normal for her to feel like this about Jaehyung.)

 

* * *

 

The next time she’s working, it’s a relatively slow hour when she notices a figure at the windows. She bites down on her lips to suppress a laugh when she spots Jaehyung looking through the front windows with his hands shielding his eyes for a better vision.

He rubs his neck sheepishly when he sees that she must have noticed him looking before he came in judging by the amused twinkle in Wonpil’s eyes.

“Hello dear customer, what can I get you today?” Wonpil asks teasingly as she leans lightly over the counter. Jae scratches the base of his head as he looks up at the menu before looking around the small displays on the counter. She takes a moment to watch him and sees that he’s wearing one of his over-sized hoodies that she had stolen from him sometimes. (Tries not to blush at how soft it had felt on her skin.)

He points at a small sign with their weekly special on it and Wonpil has to lean over and crane her neck slightly into his space to get a better look at it. A light blush rises on her cheeks as she reads what it is, and when she turns back she can see one mirroring hers on Jaehyung’s cheeks as well.

“One High school Sweetheart’s Milk tea coming right up!”

Jaehyung ducks his head sheepishly in answer and Wonpil silently laments the cheesy names for their beverages her manager is so adamant on keeping. (She actually loves them as well.)

Wonpil prepares the drink diligently and just when she’s about to set it down on the tray to bring it to Jaehyung, her eyes catch on the pink napkins. Chewing her bottom lip in thought, she smiles and thinks _why not_ as she grabs one and a pen.

She draws a slightly crooked chicken onto it, and after a short pause encircles it in a big heart as well.

When she brings the tea over to where Jae is sitting, it’s with twinkling eyes and a badly suppressed smile as she sets it down in front of him.

“Enjoy your drink, dear customer!” She sing-songs in a happy tone and he raises his eyebrows at her suspiciously. “You didn’t put anything in my drink, did you?”

She chooses to ignore his question as she saunters back to the front grinning.

Jaehyung watches her leave with an exasperated expression before he turns to his drink. He’s about to take a tentative sip when he spots the pink napkin the glass was standing on. His eyes narrow in suspicion when he sees that something is drawn onto it.

He snorts at Wonpil’s bad drawing before shaking his head in fond exasperation. He turns to look out the window so Wonpil won’t see the badly suppressed smile he’s trying to hide. His cheeks are tinted a light pink and Wonpil feels her own cheeks heaten up as she bites her lips while taking a peek at him.

After her shift ends, Wonpil chooses to walk home instead of taking the bus to enjoy the warmth that has started to come with spring. The sky has turned a pretty shade of light pink as she’s walking past the playground near her house. She stops in her steps though, when she spots a familiar figure sitting on one of the swings.  
Her lips curl into a small smile when she watches Jaehyung stare up at the sky dazedly. He’s sitting sideways on the swing, his cheeks red and his smile dopey.

Suddenly he’s grabbing onto one of the swing-handles and shaking it wildly as he grins brightly with his eyes squeezed shut. Wonpil watches in amused confusion and tries not to laugh as not to get detected by him. She takes carefully silent steps towards him until she’s right by his side, as he continues grinning like a fool unknowingly.

“What got you so happy, Jae?”

Said male lets out a yelp and almost falls off the swing as Wonpil laughs brightly at his uncoordinated moves. He scrambles back upward to glare at her without any heat behind it, his cheeks now redder than before.

“Don’t scare a dude like that, you twerp.” But Wonpil just continues smiling up at him as she leans forward with her hands behind her back. “Why were you grinning so happily, oppa?”

Her eyes twinkle as he avoids looking at her while scratching his nose. His cheeks are a bright red and Wonpil’s smile widens.

“Argh, it’s nothing! C’mon, I’ll bring you home.” Jaehyung takes a big step around her as he trudges towards the street, not looking back at her.

She giggles lightly at his clear embarrassment at having been caught, but stops when she notices that something fell out of the pocket of his hoodie.

“Jae, you lost something!”

Bending down to pick it up, her eyes widen when she sees what it is. It’s the napkin she doodled on, but now there’s a small bubbly bunny added next to the crooked chicken inside the heart she drew.

The napkin is promptly snatched out of her hands and she looks up with wide eyes at Jaehyung, whose whole face is a bright red as he looks at her. Her own cheeks heat up.

He quickly turns around after he shoved the napkin back into his pocket, taking hurried steps as he calls out in a shrill voice. “Hurry up, Wonpil!”

She blinks for a few seconds before she runs after him with a rapidly beating heart.

 

* * *

 

Wonpil wonders how she hadn’t noticed before.

Jae hates talking about his romantic interests and hates it even more when Wonpil is the one talking about hers. She had just stamped it up to him being uncomfortable or simply disinterested in the topic. That is at least, until Sungjin walks up to her in the short break between English and History.

She’s sitting at her desk, doodling in her planner when somebody clears their throat. She looks up and is taken back when she faces Sungjin looking down at her with a soft smile.

“Sorry to bother you Wonpil-ah, but can you give this to Mr. Park later, please? I have a student council meeting and you’re the only one I trust with this task.” He holds out a stack of documents to her and Wonpil blinks down at them with wide eyes.

Her heart clenches at the familiar way he had addressed her and at his heartfelt words. But she shakes herself out of it and reminds herself that they’re friends now after all. She gives him a small smile. “Of course, oppa.”

He smiles at her gratefully and Wonpil reaches out to take the papers. Before her fingers can even touch them though, they’re already being ripped out of Sungjin’s hand. They both turn to look in shock at Jaehyung as he puts the documents down onto the table rather forcefully.

The smile he gives Sungjin is strained. “I will look out that she does so, no worries Sungjin.” He says from between clenched teeth.

Sungjin’s eyes are unreadable as the two look at each other in silence, but then something shifts in his eyes before he gives Jaehyung a clip nod. He turns back to give Wonpil a small smile, and for a moment she thinks there’s a flash of sadness. “Thank you, Wonpil-ah.”

Next to her Jaehyung clenches his fists as she watches Sungjin walk away before she turns to the taller to hit his shoulder. “That was rude, Jae! I thought you and Sungjin get along well!”

The elder snorts as he leans back in his chair and rubs the spot Wonpil had hit with a pout. “I just don’t like the way he’s talking to you after everything.”

Warmth spreads through her body as she realizes that Jaehyung was angry for her, but still he didn’t have to act the way he did, even if it was for her. She watches him look out the window with red cheeks and a sudden thought strikes her.

“Jae, are you perhaps je-“ She doesn’t get to finish because there’s a hand suddenly covering her mouth as Jae leans forward to squint at her. “I can already feel your stupid thoughts from over here, not everything is about yoARGH DID YOU JUST LICK MY HAND!?”

He pulls his hand away in shock and looks at it with disgust before he turns to Wonpil. She glares at him before sticking her tongue out petulantly.

“Yah! Kim Wonpil! Apologize for defiling my poor hand!” In return she chooses to hit his shoulder instead and he looks at her scandalized. “Have the short people declared war now?”

 _Oh he asked for it_ is all Wonpil can think before she unleashes a parade of punches against the taller’s shoulder as he lets out yelps at her weak hits.

“Stop it, you shorty!” Jaehyung catches her fists as he suppresses a grin while trying to look stern.

Wonpil tilts her head up to look petulantly at him but then her breath hitches when she comes to see that their faces are only a few centimetres apart.

Jae seems to see it too, as his eyes widen behind his glasses. His grip on her wrists becomes softer and suddenly her skin feels like it’s burning from the point of contact.

They spring apart when the teacher walks into the classroom, both their cheeks a fiery red. Wonpil momentarily forgets her thought from before as she tries to calm her rapidly beating heart.

 

* * *

 

She gets to come back to it though just two days later as they’re walking along the hallway. It’s an oddly familiar scene as she’s walking side by side and joking around with Jaehyung, when suddenly someone’s bumping into her shoulder and shoving her to the side.

She stumbles and all her papers fall onto the floor. She looks up to see Younghyun looking down at her, but this time he quickly bends down to help her gather up the notes. “Shit, sorry Wonpillie! Are you hurt?”

He scans her quickly for any injuries before he looks at her with wide eyes. He let’s out a relieved sigh when Wonpil shakes her head with a small smile to show him that she’s fine. She doesn’t even realize the familiar way he addressed her until someone else is kneeling down next to her, quickly gathering up all her notes and snatching the remaining ones from Younghyun’s hands.

Wonpil turns to look at Jaehyung glaring at the ground before he directs it at Younghyun. “She’s fine, no thanks to you.” Younghyun returns his glare full force and Wonpil is confused with what is going on. “I don’t remember asking you, beanpole.”

She doesn’t need to look to see Jaehyung bristling beside her. So before an actual fight can break out (which she knows the taller will lose), she takes the stack of papers from Jaehyung’s hands and stands up with a wide smile.

“It’s okay, Younghyun oppa. No need to worry.” They both follow her lead begrudgingly and Younghyun interrupts his staring contest with Jae to smile softly at her. Before he can say anything though, Jaehyung is already pulling Wonpil aside and briskly leading them down the hallway.

“W-Wha-Jaehyung!” Wonpil tries to glance over her shoulder to smile apologizingly at Younghyun but ultimately fails because the older is pulling her along too quickly. From her point she can’t see Jaehyung’s face clearly so she doesn’t understand at all why the taller is so angry at Younghyun – he did apologize and help her this time, after all.

She pushes her feet against the ground and pulls at their hands, effectively stopping the elder. When he turns to look at her with an unreadable expression, Wonpil glares up at him defiantly as she pulls her hand free.

“What is wrong with you? You didn’t have to be so rude to Younghyun!”

In turn the elder’s eyes widen as he looks at her incredulously. “Me? Rude!? He was the one who just called me a beanpole!”

“That’s because you were mean to him first!” She is quick to retaliate. But that seems to only frustrate Jaehyung more as he pulls at his hair before he throws his hands up in exasperation.

“Why are you even defending that guy!? He broke your heart, Wonpil!”

Her breath hitches at his words and her heart hurts for a short moment, but she is too overthrown with confusion as to why he is so bothered by it to pay it more mind.

Then she is suddenly reminded to the incident with Sungjin a few days ago, and her heart is too busy beating rapidly than to hurt anymore.

“Wait, are you jealous?”

Jaehyung lets out what sounds like a shriek of panic before he starts laughing with a strained voice.

“Jealous? Me? No way! Why would I be jealous of Younghyun!? I don’t want to date a stupid twerp like you-OW! That hurts, Wonpil! Wha-Stop it!!”

She has her eyes squeezed shut as she pounds her small fists against his chest continuously. “Meanie! You big, stupid meanie! Why do you always have to be so mean to me!?” She cries out as she continues to hit him, ignoring his complaints. The words had hit her right where she is insecure and somehow it hurt her more than usual when Jaehyung teases her. “You’re so mean! Even though I like you so much!!”

Then the elder is suddenly catching her wrists in a tight grip. Wonpil looks up at him with slightly teary eyes and only has a short moment to be reminded of a few days ago, when there is suddenly a pair of lips covering hers.

Her eyes widen in shock and before she can even react, he’s already pulling away. Jaehyung looks at her with equally wide eyes as he let’s her wrists go. “Shit, Wonpil, I di-“

Before he can finish his sentence though, Wonpil is already grabbing him by his lapels and leaning onto her tip-toes to kiss him. There is a short second in which the elder seems to be shocked into standstill, but then he’s winding his arms around her waist and pulling her even closer.

Jaehyung kisses her like a starved man yearning for her touch. At first she’s taken back by his passion but then leans into him and melts, completely forgetting that they’re still in the hallway at school where everyone can see them.

This time when she’s the one to pull away, Jaehyung is the one to lean forward as he chases after her lips. This time the kiss is shorter and less searing, more sweet.

Wonpil giggles up at him after they part. “You don’t want to date a stupid twerp, huh?”

In return the elder rolls his eyes in fond exasperation before he leans back down again with a soft smile. “Oh shut up, will you?”

And Wonpil gladly does so as he kisses her again, his arms around her a warm comfort.

(She completely forgets the person watching them ruefully down the hall.)

 

* * *

 

For their first date they go to Lotte World.

Wonpil waits in front of the gates for Jaehyung to show up, excitedly brushing imaginary dust off her skirt. She has put some - in her opinion – cute flower shaped clips into her hair in the hopes of receiving a compliment from the elder.

When Jaehyung’s trademark beat-up sneakers appear in the corner of her vision, she looks up and is shocked for a moment. He’s not wearing his glasses like usual and his fringe is slightly parted at the side so she can see his eyes clearly.

Her heart skips a light beat.

Wonpil bounces forward happily and is just about to open her mouth to greet him cheerfully when she is suddenly stopped as he holds out his hand. She blink a few times at the single slightly crushed daisy in his hand.

With her cheeks dusted a light pink, she takes it out of his hand carefully. Wonpil cradles the flower close as she grins up at Jaehyung brightly, the colour of his cheeks mirroring hers.

“Thank you, oppa! It even matches me today!”

At her words he takes a closer look at her and Wonpil tries not to preen as she puts the flower into the front pocket of her blouse and brushes a strand of hair behind her ear. The hair clips shimmer lightly in the sunlight and Jaehyung’s throat dries as he is reminded of her eyes.

When she peeks up at him bashfully, he quickly averts his gaze and takes her hand - like they have already done so many times before.

“Come on, before the queue gets too long.” And he leads her towards the ticket counters while studiously avoiding eye contact.

Jaehyung doesn’t compliment her, but the red hue rising high on his cheeks is enough for Wonpil to tell.

 

Their date is somewhat the typical movie cliché date at an amusement park. They share a big portion of cotton candy and Wonpil even manages to persuade Jaehyung into wearing cute matching headbands with her. (It wasn’t really persuading and more her just buying them and putting it onto Jaehyung’s head before taking a quick selfie.)

They both studiously ignore the big Ferris wheel looming over them as they make their rounds through Lotte World, both knowing what the Ferris wheel indicates.

It all goes smoothly, the elder teasing her like usual and her in retaliation attacking him with her aegyo. That is of course until they reach the giant roller coaster. Wonpil looks up at it with apprehension, even more so when people’s screams reach her ears, and protests vehemently when Jaehyung tries to pull her towards its entrance.

But then he winds an arm around her dainty waist and gives her one of his winning smiles. It may be the lack of his glasses or the warmth of his hand at her hip, but one look and squeeze and Wonpil gives in. Jaehyung usually rejects her hugs and doesn’t like to show affection, so Wonpil is weak when he does skin ship like this.

In the end it’s Jaehyung though whose hair is in total disarray and his skin pale when they get off of the roller coaster. She tries to guide him towards a bench to rest but before he can sit down, he’s already running off to a nearby trashcan and throwing up.

Wonpil soothingly rubs his back as he’s bend over and she thinks she hears him murmur about how uncool he must look, before he’s already retching again.

After downing a whole bottle of water he flops down onto the grass and just lays there motionlessly with his arm over his eyes. Mindful of not creasing her long skirt, Wonpil sits down next to him.

“Ugh, you must think I’m an idiot now.”

The words prompt a giggle out of her and she smiles down softly at the elder as he peeks through his arm. “Oppa, I already knew you were an idiot the moment you sat down next to me in tenth grade and compared my hair colour to a lobster.”

The elder snorts at that and Wonpil moves his arm away so she can properly look at him. “My hair dye wasn’t even that red back then.”

The sun shines down brightly onto them, the light catching in Wonpil’s hair and making the flower pins in her hair glitter. Jaehyung’s breath catches at the sight as Wonpil reaches out and softly brushes a strand of his own hair behind his ear.

“Now we match.”

She grins down brightly at him and he touches his ear to feel the daisy he had gifted her tucked behind it.

Warmth explodes in her chest and when he reaches out for her, she automatically leans down to him. Before their lips can touch though, the elder has stopped her with a hand between their faces. “My breath still stinks from throwing up.”

His face is red as he avoids eye contact and Wonpil can’t help but laugh.

At the end of the date they actually manage to ride the Ferris wheel, knowing exactly what it would entail, and Wonpil gets her kiss after all. Jaehyung even goes so far as to carefully lifting her onto his lap, mindful not to jostle the cart too much as he does so. Wonpil had squeaked and slapped his shoulder playfully at his raised eyebrows before he kissed her lovingly.

Jaehyung didn’t compliment her that day, but Wonpil didn’t mind.

 

* * *

 

Their personalities are drastically different so they clashed a lot, which is why their friendship has mostly consisted of them poking fun at each other. But it worked, since they have a mutual respect and understanding of each other.

Wonpil would unleash her aegyo onto the elder, he would say something mean to make her stop, Wonpil would sulk and Jaehyung would roll his eyes before silently offering her something from his snacks. And with the beginning of their new relationship nothing much had really changed.

Jaehyung would still cringe at her skin ship and Wonpil would still pout at his teasing. But now the elder would lean down and peck her lips when she’s sulking to calm her down - Wonpil still gets some of his snacks of course.

(She knows that Jaehyung secretly loves her aegyo.)

 

* * *

 

The girls next to Wonpil are deafeningly loud as they scream their lungs out, and she has to try not to wince as she cheers for Jaehyung next to them. It seems to be some reoccurring theme that Jaehyung and Sungjin will end up playing against Younghyun and Dowoon in their basketball matches.

Even from her spot on the bleachers she can see the fire burning in the elder’s eyes as he seems determined to finally win a game against the others. That doesn’t stop him from being his crowd-entertaining and goofy self though, as he once again runs past the stands for a row of high fives.

Wonpil cheers loudly when Jaehyung manages to score a point. And when he turns to shoot finger guns at her coupled with a cheesy wink, she can’t help but laugh.

(Behind Jaehyung, someone watches them sadly, bitter that she has once again returned to cheering for somebody else.)

 

When it’s just a few seconds until the game ends, Jaehyung positions to throw for a three-pointer. Wonpil holds her breath as the ball flies a round arc through the air and circles inside the ring. The gym is silent for once, and the sound the basketball makes as it falls through the ring and bounces off the ground is loud. Jaehyung and Sungjin finally manage to win with a one point difference.

Next to her even Dowoon’s fan club is reduced silent as they don’t know how to react, but then Wonpil is springing up with a loud cheer. Jaehyung turns towards her with a wide unbelieving smile, his eyes shining behind his glasses.

Her heart flutters as she hops down the bleachers and runs past Younghyun, Sungjin and Dowoon, careening straight into Jaehyung’s arms. He catches her with a loud laugh, but Wonpil must have miscalculated his strength. Because even though Wonpil is pretty small and delicate, Jaehyung is still as thin as he is tall, and he only manages to spin her around once before they’re both crashing to the ground.

Jaehyung groans loudly as he rubs the hurt spot at the back of his head. His glasses are crooked and Wonpil bites her lips to contain her wide smile, before she leans down to kiss the elder softly in congratulations.

There are a few cheers and wolf whistles (probably from Jackson), but Wonpil doesn’t pay them attention as she feels Jaehyung’s heart beating in sync with hers.

 

* * *

 

Wonpil thought their relationship would work well, just like their friendship did. They already knew each other’s ticks and personalities and the bond between them is already strong from their friendship.

And honestly, Wonpil thought that nothing much would change from before, except for the more romantic aspect between them now.

“Oh god, please change.”

Wonpil’s smile drops slightly as she stepped aside to let Jaehyung in, her hope for a kiss as a greeting vaporizing. She looks down at her sweater-skirt combo self-consciously.

“What’s wrong with this outfit?” Honestly, she had thought she looks cute and hoped the elder would think the same. But Jaehyung just looks at her like it’s obvious what he’s talking about.

“Really, Pirrie? That sweater is a fashion crime.”

Wonpil fiddles with the hem of her favorite pink sweater as she is reminded of Jaehyung’s grudge against it. It has always been an inside joke between them and she had never really thought much about it. Normally she would just hit his shoulder playfully or annoy him by acting overly cute before their normal banter would start once again.

But now she worries her bottom-lip in thought as she averts her gaze. Does he really mind it that much? Does she really not look good in it?

Her eyes start to sting a bit and she murmurs a quiet, “Okay, I’ll change, ” before she’s quickly running back into her room to do so.

Some things become different in a relationship after all.

(She misses the stunned look Jaehyung gives her before it quickly turns into one of regret.)

 

* * *

 

It’s slightly windy outside as Wonpil waits for Jaehyung in front of the café she works at. Her shift has just ended and he had texted her that he would pick her up for a spontaneous date, much to her delight.

After the sweater incident Wonpil has become more aware of Jaehyung’s brash nature. It’s not like she hadn’t known about it before, it’s just that she has become more sensitive to it now. She tries not to think much about it, it hasn’t bothered her in their friendship before, so why should it now?

So Wonpil had been especially happy about Jaehyung’s text, something romantic would hopefully make her stop worrying over nothing. It wasn’t often after all, that Jaehyung would show his affectionate side, so she’s looking forward to it.

She fiddles with her bunny-hairclip, worrying if she looks too exhausted after work before she hears a familiar voice call her name. Wonpil looks up in surprise to see Sungjin walking towards her with his usual handsome smile.

“Hello, Sungjin oppa.” She greets him with a small wave.

“Wonpil, why are you waiting outside? Aren’t you planning to go in?” Sungjin asks her as he spares a quick glance inside the café before he turns to give her an inquisitive look.

“Oh, I just finished my shift. I started working here a few months ago.” She explains at his wide eyes and he looks almost proud at the information. She doesn’t know how to place it.

“And I’m actually waiting for-“ Just then a strong gust of wind interrupts her and she moves quickly to shield her eyes and keep her hair in place.

She’s left shivering slightly though in her blouse and woollen-cardigan and she silently notes that autumn has truly arrived now.

Sungjin seems to take notice of her cold as he’s suddenly taking his blue scarf off to carefully wrap it around her. Wonpil is hit with his earthy scent and a bittersweet sense of nostalgia as he looks down at her with impossibly gentle eyes.

“It’s getting colder these days, you need to dress warmer, Wonpil-ah.”

Her heart stutters and she quickly scrambles to take the scarf off at that. “I can’t possibly take this, oppa! Then you will be cold!”

Sungjin laughs and is just about to tell her that really, it’s fine, when Wonpil is suddenly pulled by the waist flush against Jaehyung’s side.

Wonpil’s cheeks heaten up at the action and warmth spreads through her chest by being in close proximity to her boyfriend. It quickly vanishes again though at the elder’s next words.

“I agree, better give Sungjin his scarf back. It doesn’t suit you anyway.”

Wonpil bites her bottom-lip as she silently hands Sungjin his scarf back. He takes it with an unreadable expression before he turns his hard gaze towards Jaehyung.

“She was shivering and I didn’t want her to be cold. I’m sorry if I overstepped.” At the last words he turns his gaze towards Wonpil with soft eyes and she quickly ducks her head in return. Jaehyung’s arm around her waist tightens the slightest bit. “That doesn’t mean that you have to be harsh to her.”

Jaehyung tenses beside her and his gaze hardens. Wonpil looks between the two in slight panic, not sure what is happening right now. So she softly tucks on the taller’s jacket to diffuse the situation. His gaze immediately softens when he looks down at her but his posture stays tense.

“If you already know that you’re overstepping, then stop doing so.”

Sungjin lifts his hand placatingly but he still looks disapproving as he answers Jaehyung. “I’m sorry, I will leave you two to it then.” He turns to Wonpil and his eyes become gentler. “It was nice talking to you, Wonpil. I like your hairpin by the way.”

Before she can thank the other or even smile at him, Jaehyung is already guiding her away and she is left taking a last glance over her shoulder at Sungjin watching them leave.

“Jae, that was mean of you. Sungjin was just trying to be nice.” She tell the other as she tries to keep up with his large steps.

He immediately swivels around to face her with disbelieving eyes. “Just trying to be nice!? Wonpil, he was obviously fl-“ He stops in his sentence though when his eyes catch on her bunny hairclip. The line of his mouth tightens. “Why would he compliment something so childish if he didn’t have second intentions?”

A painful stab goes through her heart at that and she has to brace herself. “Are you saying I look childish?”

“What!? No! This isn’t my point, Wonpil!” The elder exclaims in clear exasperation.

“Then what is your point, Jae? Because I honestly can’t see what Sungjin did wrong.”

“You can’t see-“ He stops and pinches the bridge of his nose as he inhales deeply. “God, Wonpil are you stupid? How can you not see that he still has feel-“ Before he can finish though, Wonpil pulls her hand out of his and looks up at him in clear anger and hurt.

It’s an ironic reflection of their fight back then in the hallway, but this time it doesn’t feel like a beginning. It feels like the exact opposite.

“Stop belittling me, Jaehyung!”

He looks at her in clear shock as she glares up at him with teary eyes. “You’re always calling me mean things like stupid or annoying and maybe that was okay when we were just friends! Because I knew that you didn’t really mean them, that it’s just your strange way of showing affection!”

Her throat clogs up as she tries not to cry. “But now that we’re in a relationship, I would like to be reassured of your feelings more clearly. I want you to be nice to me and compliment me!”

Jaehyung’s skin is pale as his wide eyes are trained solely on her. She doesn’t remember a time he has ever looked so helpless.

“So when someone else comes and is nice to me, you don’t have the right to get so defensive! You don’t have the right, when they’re just doing what you seem so incapable of doing yourself!”

From her position she can see the elder’s eyes waver as he seems to be caught in an emotional turmoil, but then his resolve hardens as his eyes sharpen once again. Wonpil feels it all going down from here.

“Well, I’m sorry that I can’t read your mind, Wonpil! If something’s bothering you, then you need to speak up!”

And she falters slightly at that, because isn’t he right? Did she let her insecurities blind her?

“But if you want someone else’s approval so much, then why don’t you run back to Sungjin, huh!?”

Her hand goes slack from where she has been gripping onto her blouse tightly as she looks up at the elder with wide eyes. His eyes are just as wide as hers and his skin becomes paler with every second that passes between them in silence.

“D-Do you really… think that?”

Her whispered words are almost lost in the wind. Jaehyung’s eyes waver from side to side as he swallows dryly, panic and uncertainty flickering through his face. He opens his mouth a few times but closes it again immediately after, like the words won’t come to him.

When he still hasn’t said anything after a while however, Wonpil just nods her head sadly as she blinks away her tears in resignation. “Maybe you-you’re right, and part of this was my fault. But you really can’t bring yourself to apologize even once, can you?”

In return the elder just lowers his head as he clenches his fists tightly and Wonpil doesn’t need an answer to know.

“I can’t take this anymore, Jae. Let’s end this.”

She holds her tears back as good as she can when she sees him looking at her in utter despair. He still doesn’t say anything though, not when she lifts her hand to muffle her sobs behind it, not when she cries into her palms. And he certainly doesn’t say anything when she turns on her heels, doesn’t stop her when she runs away.

This time when she cries her heart out in the silence of her room, there is no bony shoulder to lean on. There is no warm arm around her for comfort and her fragile heart bleeds that much more.

In the end when he had the choice, Jaehyung chose to be a bad boy and broke her heart all over again.

 

* * *

 

Wonpil once again doesn’t show up to school for a few days, her pain still too fresh to face Jaehyung again. And the worst is, that she didn’t just lose her boyfriend but also her best friend in the process. Unlike with Sungjin and Younghyun, they did not part as friends and that fact hurts her even more than their break-up.

The day that she finally musters herself up to go to school again, she has to take a few deep breaths before she opens the door to the classroom. The first thing she notices is that Jaehyung isn’t sitting at their table and she almost feels relieved, until she catches his gaze from where he is sitting in the middle row.

They share a moment of wide eyed eye contact before she ducks her head to look at her feet. It’s a gentle touch at her shoulder that brings her out of it as she turns to face Sungjin. He looks at her tentatively like he can sense that something must have happened and his eyes soften.

“Wonpil, Mister Park assigned new seats yesterday. Yours is in the back next to Dowoon now.”

She nods her head and quietly thanks him as he gently squeezes her shoulder in comfort. Wonpil silently makes her way over to her new seat and tries not to mind the gaggle of girls around Dowoon.

In the hopes of trying to ignore the pained looks she can feel coming from the front, she buries her head in her arms for a nap before the first lesson. She thinks she can hear Younghyun asking Dowoon to change seats with him, but she doesn’t hear an answer from the younger.

Wonpil wonders why Younghyun would want to change seats, maybe she heard wrong between all the chatter from the girls around Dowoon. Before she can give it any more thought, she has already fallen into a light slumber.

 

* * *

 

Jaehyung’s laugh seems to resonate through the room as he jokes around with Jimin and Kevin, and Wonpil can’t take it anymore. How can he be so happy and carefree when she is still suffering so much from their break-up?

She quickly gets up from her seat and walks out of the classroom, as long as she can get away from him. It’s only when she’s standing in the middle of the hallway that she realizes, that she doesn’t know where to go.

She could go visit her childhood friend Jinyoung at her classroom, but then she would be witness to her and Jaebum’s domesticity, which would only remind her of her own failed relationship again.

The library is also not possible since she isn’t allowed to eat there, and the possibility of bumping into Sungjin is too big – she is still too embarrassed that he had to witness that to face him.

She could go outside but that is also not an option since Younghyun will probably be lingering somewhere and she really doesn’t want to be reminded of all her failed past relationships right now.

If she were to go to the cafeteria, there won’t be a table free for her to sit at alone. And it’s then that it hits her how lonely she is now.

Her vision starts to get blurry as tears gather in her eyes. Wonpil wipes them away quickly while letting her feet carry her somewhere, just away.  
In the end they lead her to the roof as she bursts through the door with teary eyes. Hiccupping on a sob, she slides down the wall onto the ground. Wonpil cries silently into her hands and draws her knees to her chest, happy that the roof is empty of people.

At least she thought it was empty, until she wiped away her tears with the back of her hand only to see Dowoon staring back at her wide eyedly.

They share a moment of stunned eye contact before they both avert their gazes quickly. Wonpil in embarrassment at having been caught crying, and Dowoon out of awkwardness at having caught someone crying.

Wonpil turns her head away to try and hide her tears as she rubs at her eyes. The flow of tears just won’t stop tough and she bites her lips in embarrassment and frustration. Today just isn’t her day it seems.

There is a light thudding sound and Wonpil peeks from between her fingers to look what it is. She spots a pack of banana milk placed next to her feet and she looks to her side with wide eyes. A few feet away Dowoon has sat down next to her in a similar position.

His earphones are in and his head turned away to give her privacy. When she sets the straw to her lips and takes a small sip, sweetness immediately sets in her mouth and the tears finally lessen.

For the first time in a while, warmth spreads in her chest and she doesn’t feel so lonely anymore.

 

* * *

 

 Wonpil avoids the crowded places during break, too afraid of running into Jaehyung. So she takes to spending her time between classes on the rooftop. And every day Dowoon will be there as well, by now the younger has become a constant presence that Wonpil welcomes.

They always sit in silence a few feet apart. Dowoon will have his earphones in while drinking his usual banana milk and Wonpil will be eating her lunchbox silently. They don’t talk or really acknowledge each other, but Wonpil doesn’t mind. The silence between them is comfortable and she doesn’t want to disrupt the delicate routine they have built.

Normally she is rather chatty and always happy to talk to new people but Dowoon just seems so silent and closed off, she doesn’t really know how to read him. She also wants to leave him this quiet, freeing him from the usual chatter that always follows him around at school.

Sometimes she wonders if she is bothering the younger, if she is an unwelcome addition to his space. Wonpil thinks that the younger probably always retreats onto the rooftop to flee from the gaggle of girls that follow him. So she must be an annoyance, right?

But the past weeks Dowoon has never said anything against her or even given her a look that might have revealed any negative emotions. Instead it’s actually him who always chooses to sit down next to her leaned against the same wall.

Wonpil wonders if he was worried about her. If perhaps he has also been lonely.

 

* * *

 

Jinyoung corners her after P.E. one day and asks her in concern if she has been eating well. If she needs someone to talk to. Wonpil tears up and hugs her friend tightly. Jinyoung cards through her hair soothingly and asks her if she wants to spend her break with Jaebum and her but Wonpil shakes her head softly.  
She thinks of the comfortable silence between Dowoon and her, thinks about the sweet banana milk he had given her in consolation. The taller girl studies her for a moment before she smiles softly. They promise to meet up again to catch up and Wonpil is happy.

Dowoon seems to be affected by her good mood that day as well, if the rhythmic tapping of his finger to the music from his earphones is any indicator.

 

* * *

 

There is not a lot about Dowoon that Wonpil knows. She knows that he is a year younger than her and only in her class because he skipped a grade. She knows he is insanely smart and insanely rich judging by the brand of his shoes and his watch. She know that combined with his good looks, these reasons are the main factor that he has such a large fan club at their school.

He doesn’t talk a lot – Wonpil thinks she actually hasn’t ever heard him talk in class, at least she doesn’t remember. The younger also doesn’t seem to have any friends to talk to, the closest person that would come to being his friend being Younghyun.

Those two are an odd match, but they seem to have a silent understanding between each other. Now that she is seated next to them, she has observed how Younghyun would drive away the girls around Dowoon, and how the younger would silently give over his homework when the teacher chose to pick Younghyun for the answer. She had smiled fondly at them, happy to keep this knowledge for herself.

But that is all she knows about the younger boy. Two months into their delicate bond, she observes him from the side, and wonder if the other is a bad boy or a good boy. The aura he gives off is cold and closed off, but he has also shown this warm side by offering her company.

Honestly, she just doesn’t have a good enough read on him to know which one he is.

Wonpil frowns slightly when she notices that Dowoon is once again only drinking banana milk. She rakes her brain and notices that in all this time, she hasn’t ever seen him eat anything during their break. He probably doesn’t go to the cafeteria to avoid his fangirls and doesn’t bother to wake up early enough to cook himself something, maybe he actually doesn’t know how to cook.

(She tries not to think about how bad Jaehyung had been at cooking, how good Sungjin had been at it, how she never had the chance to find out if Younghyun knew how to.)

Next to her Dowoon continues to sip on his milk-pack while listening to his music. Wonpil tilts her head lightly as she observes him and wonders why his parents don’t make lunch for him.

After a few seconds of contemplating and trying to muster up courage, she carefully scoots closer until they’re only an arm’s length away. She timidly tips his shoulder for attention and it takes him a few seconds to register it. When he does, it’s with a double take as he quickly takes his earphones out. Wonpil is surprisingly reminded of a startled puppy.

“Don’t you have anything to eat?” She asks him softly and he shakes his head in return with wide eyes.

The answer doesn’t surprise her as she holds out her lunch box. “Do you want some of mine?”

The younger’s eyes widen even more as he points at himself like asking _Me?_ And Wonpil has to suppress a smile. It’s the most emotions she has ever seen on him and somehow it awakens her motherly instincts.

She nudges the box towards him and doesn’t miss the glance he gives the gimbap, but Dowoon just shakes his head with wide eyes. It takes a bit more prodding and encouraging from her repeatedly saying _It’s fine, I’m really not hungry_ for him to reluctantly take her pair of chopsticks. Wonpil bites down on a smile when the younger immediately goes for the gimbap.

“….-ood.”

It catches her off guard and it isn’t until she leans a bit closer that she realizes that the younger had actually spoken.

“…it’s really good.”

The words are mumbled so quietly that Wonpil almost misses them but she doesn’t and they warm her heart immensely.

It’s the first time she has ever heard him speak and his voice is deeper than she has imagined. There is also a light mumble to his words that makes him sound awkward but Wonpil only thinks it endearing.

“Is it really?” She asks with a soft smile, surprised herself since she is only decent at cooking and the things she prepares for lunch are mostly the only stuff she knows how to make.

He nods his head in answer. “It’s really tasty, thank you.”

Wonpil notices how his ears have become a bright red and she has to suppress a squeal and the urge to ruffle his hair. She is once again oddly reminded of a puppy.

The next morning when Wonpil is preparing her lunchbox for the day, she cooks and packs for two.

When she gives Dowoon his own box, he takes it with wide eyes and stutters as he thanks her. Wonpil notes that maybe Dowoon isn’t cold at all but actually just very shy.

 

* * *

 

From then she starts to pack two lunchboxes every morning. It doesn’t take her a lot more time and she really doesn’t mind, especially when the younger is always so obviously enjoying her food. It makes her wonder if he doesn’t get to eat home-cooked meals very often.

They still eat mostly in silence, but Wonpil is proud to note that Dowoon now only has his earphones plugged in one ear – always leaving the one on her side free. It makes her curious what the younger is listening to that he is always so immersed in it.

Wonpil glances at him eat contently before she tugs lightly at his shirt. Dowoon immediately turns to her and puts his lunchbox down to give her his full attention – just like an obedient puppy.

“Can I ask what music you’re listening to?”

At the question Dowoon starts to fumble a bit with his earphones before he holds one out to her, and Wonpil blinks as she holds it to her ear. Her eyes widen when a familiar piano tune plays and she turns an excited grin at the younger. “I love that song! I didn’t know that you like instrumental melodies!”

Dowoon scratches his cheek timidly as he plays with the straw of his banana milk. “You play that song on the piano, right?” he asks as he glances up at her from between his bangs. In turn Wonpil blinks at him as she is pleased but surprised. “I do. How did you know?”

This time he rubs his neck as he avoids eye contact with her again, but he still mumbles an answer shyly, “I heard you play it once, in the music shop.”

The memory of her first date with Sungjin comes back to her as it clicks and she lets out a small sound of realisation. The younger must have seen her through the store front’s window. By now the memory does not make her melancholic or sad anymore, just a bit nostalgic. Dowoon still seems to sense her changed mood though as he quickly scrambles to take the earphones back.

“I-I think it would be nice as a duet. Not with guitar, but w-with drums.”

The statement takes her a bit by surprise as she looks up at him. “You mean like in Jazz music?” Dowoon gives a small nod and Wonpil thinks it over for a bit before she beams up at him. “That’s actually a great idea, Dowoon! I wish I knew someone I could try this with.”

The younger fiddles with his banana milk pack again before he points a finger at himself and finally turns fully to her. “I can play it with you, noona! I can play the drums.”

This new knowledge surprises her even more as she blinks up at him a few times. The puzzle that is Yoon Dowoon starts to slowly come together more and more.

“I would love that!”

She tries to ignore the skip her heart made at how sweetly he had called her “noona”.

 

* * *

 

They don’t spend time together outside of school, but additionally to their shared lunch breaks, they would sometimes sneak into the music room during their study period and goof around on the instruments. Dowoon is surprisingly playful once he starts to break out of his shell, though he still doesn’t lose that awkward and timid way of his.

Wonpil would like to say that they have come far in their friendship these past months. But judging from the side-eyes she gets from Jinyoung and the skips her heart likes to make, the relationship between seems a lot more fragile yet deeper than that.

She did not plan on this, and honestly she does not want it. After all the heartbreaks she endured, all she wants is a break. The friendship she and Dowoon have right now is sweet and light and she does not want to change it. The feeling that there might be more than just friendly feelings involved is new and small enough that she can just ignore it.

Yet it’s also enough to make her halt in her preparations the day before Valentine’s Day. She’s making chocolates for Jinyoung and Jaebum, and was just about to fill a third batch for Dowoon when it hits her. Is it really okay to give him chocolates on Valentine’s Day? Won’t that send the wrong message?

But then again she’s also giving some to Jinyoung and Jaebum, and she used to always make some for Jaehyung before their falling out. It shouldn’t be a big deal, right?

 

Turns out it really isn’t a big deal as she doesn’t even get to give it to him. The moment she stepped into class the first thing she noticed is the giant stack of chocolates on Dowoon’s table. She has seen this the years before already and it shouldn’t be this ridiculous anymore. But now that she and Dowoon have gotten closer, the amount of presents seems even bigger than before.

Some of the chocolates are of obviously expensive brands and she watches Dowoon with wide eyes as he just shoves them to the side so he can place his head on the table for a nap. A thought strikes her then. Maybe he doesn’t like Valentine’s? Or maybe he doesn’t even like chocolate? She has only given him salty food until now, so she wouldn’t know.

Younghyun raises an eyebrow at her questioningly when he notices her hesitation to sit down at her desk. But Wonpil just gives him a tight smile before finally sitting down. She chickens out of giving Dowoon the chocolate for now.

It isn’t until lunch break, when the two of them are sitting on the empty roof once again, that Wonpil notices that Dowoon hasn’t taken any of the chocolate he’s received with him. She wants to ask him why, but doesn’t manage to muster up the courage to do so as she watches him eat her lunch box happily.

Why does it even make her so nervous, it’s not like it’s a big deal. Wonpil hits her head in her mind, trying to remind herself that it’s just friendly chocolate. No big deal.

“Thank you for the tasty food, noona.”

She’s startles out of her thoughts when Dowoon turns to her, handing back the now empty lunch box with red ears. Wonpil takes it with a bright smile. “Did you like it?”

In turn the younger quickly nods his head, ears reddening even more.

“I-Is there also… dessert?” He stammers out, hiding his face in his knees and Wonpil blinks her eyes at him.

“Oh, um-no, I’m sorry, Dowoon. I didn’t know that you wanted some.”

The other’s face turns as red as his ears. “N-No need to apologize, noona. ‘Was just curious.”

Before Wonpil can say anything in return, the school bell goes off and Dowoon’s already hastily standing up to walk back to class.

Wonpil watches him leave with wide eyes, before she realizes what he has meant.

 

Dowoon is already napping once again with his head buried in his arms when Wonpil enter the classroom. She smiles softly at his sleeping face turned towards her, aware that he isn’t really asleep and just resting his eyes. She bites her lips as she gets out a small bag decorated with a pink bow before gently placing it next to his head on the desk.

Dowoon opens his eyes slowly until they snap open quickly when he sees the chocolate. He scrambles up in his chair, blinking at it before turning towards Wonpil.

Wonpil ducks her head in a shy smile and Dowoon’s ears redden in turn once again.

He opens the pack carefully, popping one of the chocolates into his mouth.

“…thank you. It’s really delicious.”

The words are whispered softly, but Wonpil still hears them nonetheless and bites her lips to suppress her smile.

He glances at her shyly before quickly turning away with a bright blush when she catches his gaze. (But doesn’t catch the other gazes watching her longingly.)

 

* * *

 

The sky is glimmering in a calming pink-orange light as she sweeps the classroom’s floor, the sunlight warm on her skin. There are a lot of wrapping papers and cards lying on the ground, the remnants of this Valentine’s day, and she wonders who gave whom what as she gathers them up.

In his usual seat in the corner Younghyun is playing around on his phone and Wonpil glances up at him. He’s supposed to help her with class duty but he’s not really doing anything. It reminds her too much of a certain day.

“There sure are a lot of candies strewn on the floor.” She mentions lightly to break the silence and to also make him aware of his duties. But the other only glances up for a second to smile at her before going back to fiddle with his phone.

Wonpil lets out a small huff and grabs the second mop before walking over to Younghyun and holding it out to him.

“Hey, you’re supposed to help me with this, you know!”

Younghyun blinks up at her pout and gives a small chuckle, “Okay, okay, I’ll wipe the floor.”

When he takes the mop from her hand, Wonpil smiles thankfully in relief. It quickly falls again though when he only swings it around uselessly as he walks through the class room, not helping at all and only managing to spray water everywhere.

“Hey! Hey, stop that!” She quickly calls after him and he immediately drops the mop on command. Before she can say anything more though, he picks up his bag and turns around to her.

“Wonpillie, fighting!” He says with raised fist and walks out of the classroom, leaving her behind in stunned silence.

She watches him walk down the corridor with eyes wide in disbelief at his brazenness. Shoulders sagging in defeat, she picks up the mop he had dropped and readies herself to clean the room by herself.

She stops though when something white catches her eyes and she slowly approaches her desk.

A single white gardenia lies on it.

Wonpil picks it up with careful hands, looking in awe at the way the pink light colours the petals in almost the same hue. Had it been there the whole time? But she’s sure she would have noticed-

It strikes her then and Wonpil quickly turns around to look at the corridor Younghyun had just walked down.

 

* * *

 

Wonpil types on her phone with a small smile.

_To Dowoonie  
Happy birthday Dowoon-ah <3_

_From Dowoonie  
thank you noona_

She bites her lip to contain her grin, still not fully used to being called ‘noona’ and the way it makes her pulse rise.

_To Dowoonie  
Have you had a nice day so far?_

_From Dowoonie  
it was okay, just the usual_

Frowning, Wonpil starts typing again, about to ask him if he and his parents have some birthday tradition and if he meant that when she stops. She remembers how Dowoon never has his own lunch packed, how he always stays silent when she tells him about the trips she made with her family on the weekend.

Making a decision, she quickly grabs her wallet and puts on her shoes before leaving the house.

 

Dowoon trots down the stairs leisurely when the doorbell rings, wondering who it could be. He opens the door and his eyes widen when he sees Wonpil standing there, grinning at him and holding up two grocery bags.

“N-noona?” He stutters in surprise and quickly steps aside to let her through.

Before she can step past him though, she gives him a small one-armed hug and his cheeks redden lightly. “Happy birthday, Dowoon-ah!” She cheers happily, “I thought I would surprise you!”

She takes off her shoes and puts them neatly to the side before she walks in. She notices the banana milk packs and take-out containers on the table, notices how large and silent the apartment is, notices how empty it feels.

Wonpil turns back towards Dowoon with a bright smile and holds out one of the grocery bags to him, which he quickly takes.

“Where is your kitchen?”

 

Steam wafts through the kitchen, reddening both their cheeks, and Dowoon watches Wonpil throw seasoning into the pot with eyes wide in awe. Wonpil takes the soy sauce, pausing for a moment to think about how much she has already put in, before shrugging and pouring a lot more in anyway.

“Wah, this smells really good, noona!” The younger tells her, excitement clear in his voice, and she has to bite her lips at the way his eyes sparkle as he looks into the pot.

“Well, I’ve never made seaweed-soup before myself, so let’s hope it’s as good as it smells.” She chuckles nervously, but he only turns towards her with a bright smile and nods earnestly.

“Everything you make tastes good, noona.”

The heat rising in her cheeks doesn’t come from the steam this time.

 

In the end the soup ended up being much too salty and Wonpil had to pour a lot of water into it and let it simmer again, delaying their meal for a good hour. But Dowoon didn’t let the saltiness bother him, cleaning his whole bowl, even asking for seconds when Wonpil was already full from just one. Dowoon smiles so happily at her, she can only smile back just as brightly, both their cheeks red.

They manage to finish the whole pot.

 

* * *

 

The smile stays on her face the whole way to the bus stop, even when she gets onto the bus and sits down, the younger’s happy laugh replaying in her memory and warming her heart. She leans her head against the window as the bus drives through the dark streets, remembering how he had insisted on walking her home and only giving in when she told him that the bus stop was just down stairs and that the bus would come any minute now.

Wonpil puts in her earphones, piano tunes and drum beats playing in harmony, and closes her eyes in content. (And doesn’t notice the person sitting in the back.)

She only opens them again when her stop is announced and she gets up, bidding the driver a good night as she gets off the bus.

The night air is soothing on her skin as she walks down the empty street, her earphones still in and creating a calming atmosphere. But then a familiar figure runs past her, only to stop a few steps in front of her.

She looks at Sungjin with wide eyes, having seemingly run after her judging from the quick rise and fall of his chest. A few cars drive past them, the road otherwise empty and silent, Wonpil takes out her earphones, blinking at him in surprise.

“Sungjin?”

He’s wearing the stripped sweater and black shirt combo that she liked so much on him and his eyes are still as big and beautiful as she remembers when he looks at her.

“I have something to tell you.” He says, the satoori in his voice heavier than usual. Somehow it makes him sound more emotional.

“ _I loved you_.”

The wind stills. They look at each other.

“I still do. I never stopped loving you.”

The dim light of the street lights reflects in his hair and casts them both in a warm light, reduces everything to only them. Wonpil’s world stops for a short moment before it restarts in a whirlwind of emotions.

Her heart stutters, her brain not coming up with the right words as she struggles with her answer, doesn’t even know what it is.

“I…I-“

“It’s okay,” He interrupts her quickly and Wonpil stops. There are so many emotions running through his eyes and Wonpil wonders if they’re reflecting her own. “I’m not expecting an answer.”

A car drives by them, cicadas chirping in the trees around them, and the rueful yet content expression on Sungjin’s face is so much like the one he had when they broke up. Wonpil’s heart clenches painfully.

“It’s just that… I don’t want to regret. Not again.”

He looks down at his shoes before looking back up at her with a smile, yet his eyes are wet.

“Be safe when you go back.”

The words are said softly before he’s already turning around and walking away from her, his back straight, head held high and bag slung over one shoulder, his figure looking just as reliable as she remembers.

She watches him walk away in silence, the wind flowing through her hair and towards him, carrying feelings with it that she can’t name.

 

* * *

 

Loud screams erupt through the gymnasium, over toning the squeaking of shoes and the sound of the basketball it makes when it hits the ground. Dowoon takes the ball from Jaehyung and the screams get louder.

It’s almost funny how it always ends up with Dowoon and Younghyun playing against Jaehyung and Sungjin. But this time it doesn’t feel like team play at all, there is a tension between the four and it’s more like a one against one match between them all. Wonpil wonders what it is that has them all so edge around each other.

Dowoon dribbles towards the loop and Wonpil lifts her hand to her mouth to cheer.

“Go, Dow-“ But the girl next to her suddenly jumps up and screams, jostling Wonpil and interrupting her. She winces and covers her ears when the screams around her get even louder as Dowoon scores a goal. When she can finally get a good look again, the game has already reset and she bites her lip, feeling bad for not managing to cheer the younger on. Through the game she tries again but is always overtones by the girls around her, and when the game finally ends she’s just glad it’s over, not even caring about who won.

Wonpil quickly gets off the bench and walks towards where Dowoon is standing with a bright grin. Before she can reach him though, a throng of girls run past her and surround the younger, building an unbreakable barrier. She tries to catch his eyes, but he’s lost in the sea of people and Wonpil gives up when she doesn’t manage to squeeze through even with her small frame.

She lets out a sigh, and with one last rueful look over her shoulder, leaves the gymnasium. Outside she takes in a deep breath, closing her eyes and tries not to feel bad. She doesn’t even know why she’s so disappointed. It’s not like there’s anything going on between her and Dowoon, right?

Right?

Her heart clenches and Wonpil knows what it feels like to lie to herself. She quickly shakes her head and begins walking. She won’t let her heart get broken by some bad boy again.

But is Dowoon even a bad boy?

A hand softly grasps hers and she turns around in surprise to see Dowoon, bending slightly and trying to catch his breath.

“Noona, you went away before I could even talk to you.” He mumbles softly.

She watches him with wide eyes as he pants harshly. “…You… ran after me?”

He looks up at her before straightening and rubbing his neck shyly, the tips of his ears turning red. “I’m sorry I got held up, but I really wanted to walk home with you.”

Wonpil is still looking at him with wide eyes before gazing down at her shoes and whispering silently, “No one has ever run after me.”

It’s said so softly that the younger doesn’t really catch it, looking at her in confusion but Wonpil quickly smiles up at him reassuringly. Her heart stops for a second as they lock gazes before it restarts beating louder than before.

“Go shower, Dowoon-ah, I’ll wait here.” She tells the younger and he nods eagerly before quickly running of.

She watches his back with a fond smile before she is once again surprised by another voice.

“Wonpil?”

When she turns, it’s to see Jaehyung standing a few feet away gripping the water bottle in his hands nervously. She blinks at him in surprise before also biting her lips nervously, awkward and not knowing how to greet him after what had happened.

It pains her to be so unsure with him when they had been so close and natural with each other before.

“Can I talk to you for a minute?” He asks her with a small voice. His hair is still slightly damp with sweat, he must have immediately come after the game.

“What is it, Jaehyung?” She asks in an equally small voice. His full name feels foreign on her tongue, having become so used to calling him by his nickname or just oppa.

“It’s just that-,” He rubs his neck nervously, “I miss you.”

Her breath gets stuck in her throat, but Jaehyung quickly continues, eyes wide. “I mean- we’ve been such good friends, and I really miss that.”

He looks at her ruefully and Wonpil gnaws her bottom-lip, knowing exactly what he meant.

“I didn’t mean to hurt you like that back then, but I was too jealous to think clearly.” The elder whispers softly. “What I said wasn’t okay and I’m really sorry.”

Warmth starts to settle in her chest and she looks at him with glittering eyes.

“If you can find it in your heart to forgive me, I-I hope we-,” He pauses and seems to struggle with his words for a moment before he lets out a deep breath and his shoulders sag, “I hope we can be friends again.”

Wonpil feels the tightness in her chest loosen as the warmth blooms freely, and for the first time in a long while she smiles up genuinely at the taller.

“I would really like that, Jae.”

At that he lets out a relieved breath he seems to have held in and Wonpil chuckles, feeling so much lighter suddenly. They smile at each other and Jaehyung spreads his arms, beckoning her. “A reconciliation hug? I know you’re craving for one.” He jokes and Wonpil laughs at how well he knows her.

She steps into the familiar arms and wraps her own around his waist, basking in the warmth. They hug tightly for a few seconds before they pull apart again. Jaehyung looks down at her, his expression looking conflicted and Wonpil is about to ask him if there’s something he still needs to talk about when she spots a familiar figure in the distance.

“I’ll text you later, okay Jae?” She smiles up at him and he can only nod mutely before she’s already running off. “I missed you, too!” She calls after him over her shoulder.

Dowoon’s cheeks are red and hair still a bit damp from the shower when she reaches him. He takes her bag to carry it for her and Wonpil thanks him shyly.

“Did something happen, noona? You look really happy.” The younger observes and Wonpil grins up at him.

“I just talked to a friend.”

He nods his head and Wonpil notices that the redness on his cheeks doesn’t seem to go away, even with the cool evening breeze as they walk down the hill. Then she notices that he’s fiddling with something behind his back. Before she can ask though he’s already moving that hand out towards her and Wonpil blinks at the freshly picked stem of lilacs held out for her.

“For you, Wonpil-noona.” He stammers out, avoiding eye contact and she takes the flowers, holding them carefully. “T-they reminded me of you.”

The petals shimmer a light purple in the soft evening light, and they smell sweet as she cradles them close.

“Thank you, Dowoon-ah.” She whispers softly.

“N-no need to thank me.”

The younger’s ears are red and Wonpil can feel her own cheeks burn up as they continue their walk silently. Her heart beats quickly as a familiar feeling blooms in her chest and Wonpil bites her lip.

“You’re really a good boy, Dowoon-ah.”

He looks at her a bit confused and Wonpil smiles. Her house is almost in sight, just the street down. She tentatively reaches her hand out, her fingers brushing his.

Before she can grasp it though, someone grips her hand from behind softly and Wonpil turns around in shock to see Jaehyung panting heavily.

“I take it back, Wonpil, I was a coward and you do stupid things _when you love someone._ ” The elder rushes out. “I don’t want to be just friends.”

Her heart stutters and she can only watch with wide eyes as Jaehyung looks at her with equally wide one.

“I’m in love with you, Wonpil, have been since the very beginning.”

It feels like her heart stops at these words.

“N-noona?” A hand softly takes hers.

And like that her heart starts again, feels like it will explode from the over rush of emotions. She doesn’t know what to do, suddenly becoming over aware of Dowoon and the warmth spreading from their joined hands.

Yet her lungs also compress when she locks gazes with Jaehyung and the way he looks at her with like she holds his heart.

“Wonpil?”

She turns around in shock, disjoining both holds, and sees Sungjin waiting a few feet away by her house. Everything stands still when their eyes meet and even more emotions flood into her, so many that she can’t even place them as they’re already filling her up, making her chest almost combust.

The wind flows through her hair, carrying emotions that she still can’t read as the leaves rustle around them.

The noise of a loud engine breaks their eye contact as it startles them all. A motorcycle rounds the corner and comes to stand in front of them.

And as if that isn’t enough, the driver takes off his helmet and Younghyun looks up at her, holding a bouquet of gardenias in his hand.

“Wonpillie…”

Four pairs of eyes look at her.

She looks at them all one by one, finally looks back at them. And only one thought plagues her mind.

_What can I do?_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See how I sneakily brought in the MV titles ;D  
> If you look up the flowers they each gave Wonpil, they all have a meaning that brings more insight into their story.  
> Sungjin white carnation - pure love  
> Jaehyung daisy - loyal love  
> Younghyun gardenia - secret love  
> Dowoon purple lilac - first love  
> (If you want I could also post the boys sights on the story)  
> I'm sorry for all the typos and how rushed the ending is, but I still hope that you could enjoy it!! Please do tell me what you thought of it!! And thank you for reading until the end!!!!  
> And if you still haven't listened to Day6's Bad Boy cover (which this whole story is based on), then do your ears the favour and do so!!!
> 
> also @1roomdisco my sungpil king, I hope you liked this even when the "endgame" wasn't sungpil and you could still enjoy it (even with my ass late update)

**Author's Note:**

> Ha ha this was supposed to be a one-shot with 9k words, but then my brain just kinda went into over drive and now it's a two-shot with over 20k words. I hope you enjoy it and please leave a comment if you did!


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